Revista de Ciencias Civiles y Jurídicas

Abstracto

Company Restructuring Pursuant to German Insolvency Law

Harald Hess

Coming into force on 1 March 2012, the German Act on the Further Facilitation of the Restructuring of Companies (Gesetz zur weiteren Erleichterung der Sanierung von Unternehmen), in particular in conjunction with the insolvency plan and through what is known as self-administration, serves to align German insolvency law more closely with the restructuring proceedings of Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. Insolvency law is no longer primarily about the liquidation of the debtor or insolvent company; instead, the legislature has, through the reform’s main agenda, the insolvency plan procedure (Articles 217 ff. InsO) and selfadministration (Articles 270 ff. InsO), placed the main emphasis on the debtor company in the restructuring process, and has made it possible to effectively organise insolvencies on the basis of creditor autonomy. In addition to the restructuring of the company, it also allows for what is known as the transferred reorganisation of the debtor’s assets, and also liquidation. A subsequent step will involve defining regulations to deal with the issues associated with group insolvency, and considering whether a projected income procedure comparable with the “scheme of arrangement” should be developed. Below, we will examine the changes made to insolvency law to date, and show how boosting creditor autonomy, similar to Chapter 11, makes it possible for the debtor company to be released from its obligations and enable it to make a fresh start.