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Out now: Festschrift for Herbert Kronke on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday: „National, International, Transnational: Harmonischer Dreiklang im Recht“

On the occasion of the 70th birthday of Herbert Kronke, Professor emeritus of the University of Heidelberg, President of the German Institution of Arbitration and Arbitrator (Chairman, Chamber Three) at the Iran US Claims Tribunal at The Hague, Former Secretary-General of UNIDROIT, a large number of friends and colleagues gathered to honour a truly outstanding scholar with essays, edited by Christoph Benicke, Professor at the University of Gießen, Germany, and Stefan Huber, Professor at the University of Tübingen, in an impressive volume of nearly 2000 pages with more than 150 contributions from all over the world, many of them in English – highly recommended to browse through state of the art thinking and research on national, international and transnational law:

I. Internationales Privat- und Verfahrensrecht sowie Völkerrecht

Moritz BRINKMANN und Thomas VOGT GEISSE

Qualifikation und Anknüpfung von Instrumenten der prozessvorbereitenden Aufklärung

Eckart BRÖDERMANN

Vom Drachen-steigen-Lassen – Ein internationales Jura-Märchen zum IPR/IZVR

Hannah L. BUXBAUM

Capital Markets and Conflict of Laws: from Mutual Recognition to Substituted Compliance

Dagmar COESTER-WALTJEN

Der gewöhnliche Aufenthalt eines Neugeborenen im Internationalen Familienrecht

Anatol DUTTA

Gleichlauf von forum und ius – ein legitimes Ziel des internationalen Privatrechts?

Dorothee EINSELE

Der Erfüllungsort von Geschäften in Finanzinstrumenten

Omaia ELWAN und Dirk OTTO

Staaten und Staatsunternehmen im internationalen Schieds- und Zivilverfahrensrecht

Cecilia FRESNEDO DE AGUIRRE

Private International Law in Uruguay: Present and Future

Angelika FUCHS

Zum Klägergerichtsstand bei Auslandsunfällen

Horacio A. GRIGERA NAÓN

UNIDROIT Principles as Proper Law

Pascal GROLIMUND und Eva BACHOFNER

Örtlicher Gerichtsstand bei Vereinbarung der internationalen Zuständigkeit

Wolfgang HAU

Der Drittstaatsansässige als „Fremder“ im Rahmen der europäischen justiziellen Zusammenarbeit in Zivilsachen

Jan VON HEIN

Kollisionsrechtliche Aspekte neuer Formen des Erwachsenenschutzes

Christian HEINZE

Anforderungen an eine Auslandsklage zur Hemmung der Verjährung nach § 204 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 BGB

Dieter HENRICH

Ehe zu dritt

Stephan HOBE

50 Jahre Mondlandung – 40 Jahre Mondabkommen

Norbert HORN

Abwehr der Haftung für internationale Staatsanleihen durch

gesetzgeberische Selbstbedienung? Eine Nachlese

Cristina HOSS

The times they are a-changin’:

Die Immunität internationaler Organisationen im Wandel?

Peter HUBER

Der Cordanzug von Amazon –

Hinweispflichten bei Rechtswahl und Gerichtsstandsvereinbarung

Abbo JUNKER

Die Rück- und Weiterverweisung (Renvoi) nach dem Inkrafttreten der Europäischen Güter- und Erbrechtsverordnungen

Peter KINDLER

Urteilsfreizügigkeit für derogationswidrige Judikate? –

Ein rechtspolitischer Zwischenruf auf dem Hintergrund der 2019 HCCH Judgments Convention

Christian KOHLER

Parteiautonomie, zwingendes Recht und loyale Zusammenarbeit in der EU

Juliane KOKOTT und Wolfgang ROSCH

Eingriffsnormen und ordre public im Lichte der Rom I-VO, der Rom II-VO, der EuGVVO und der EU-InsVO

Vesna LAZI? and Sonja A. KRUISINGA

Prorogation of Jurisdiction:

Validity Requirements and Methods of Interpretation

Stefan LEIBLE und Felix M. WILKE

Funktionale Überlegungen zur kollisionsrechtlichen Wahl nichtstaatlicher Regelwerke

Walter F. LINDACHER

Kautionslastfreistellung nach § 110 Abs. 1 ZPO – Die causa Liechtenstein

Dirk LOOSCHELDERS

Gleichgeschlechtliche Ehen im Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrecht

Maria Chiara MALAGUTI

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Protection of Creditors in the European Union through the Lenses of Most Recent Case Law

Heinz-Peter MANSEL

Zum Anwendungsbereich des Art. 24 Nr. 2 EuGVVO beim verschmelzungsbedingten squeeze out und Drittklagen gegen sachverständige Prüfer

Dieter MARTINY

Private international law aspects of geo-blocking and portability

Felix MAULTZSCH

Forumsfremde Eingriffsnormen im Schuldvertragsrecht

zwischen Macht- und Wertedenken

Francesca MAZZA

Von lachenden Doppelerben und anderen Streithähnen – Für ein neues Selbstverständnis des IPR als Recht der internationalen Integration im privatrechtlichen Bereich

Ralf MICHAELS

A Global Restatement of Private International Law?

José Antonio MORENO RODRÍGUEZ

The new OAS Guide on International Contracts

Peter Arnt NIELSEN

A Global Framework for International Commercial Litigation

Yuko NISHITANI

Kulturelle Identität und Menschenrechte im Internationalen Privatrecht

Luca G. RADICATI DI BROZOLO

Competition between Cross-Border Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: Domestic Courts, Arbitration and International Commercial Courts

– Procedural and Substantive Options for Litigants –

Oliver REMIEN

Drittstaatliche Handelsvertreter und die Richtlinie 86/653 in den Fängen der nationalen selbstbeschränkten Sachnorm und der Eingriffsnormenregelung

des Art. 9 Rom I-VO – Bemerkungen zu EuGH Rs. C-507/15 – AGRO 

Herbert ROTH

Der Gerichtsstand der unerlaubten Handlung nach Art. 7 Nr. 2 EuGVVO und die Bedeutung des Erfolgsorts für den Ersatz reiner Vermögensschäden

Giesela RÜHL

Die Haager Grundregeln über Rechtswahlklauseln in internationalen Handelsverträgen: Ein effizienter Rahmen für den Wettbewerb der Rechtsordnungen im Vertragsrecht?

Haimo SCHACK

Das auf Altersgrenzen anwendbare Recht

Stephan W. SCHILL

Linking Private and Public International Law: the Example of Determining

Corporate Nationality in Germany’s Investment Treaty Network

Anja SEIBERT-FOHR

La fonction et le contenu de la dignité humaine en droit international

Dennis SOLOMON

Internationale Entscheidungskollisionen zwischen staatlicher Gerichtsbarkeit und privater Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit

Andreas SPICKHOFF

Gerichtsstände und grenzüberschreitender Autokauf im Internet

Michael STÜRNER

Politische Interessen und Internationales Privatrecht

Karsten THORN und Marian THON

Der Auslandsbezug im IPR

Luboš TICHÝ

Fremdes Recht im Revisionsverfahren (Eine rechtsvergleichende Skizze über die Revisibilität des ausländischen Rechts)

Marc-Philippe WELLER, Jan-Marcus NASSE und Laura NASSE

Klimaklagen gegen Unternehmen im Licht des IPR

Matthias WELLER

The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: New Trends in Trust Management?

Volker WIESE

Der kollisionsrechtliche Rahmen für die grenzüberschreitende Verbraucherstreitbeilegung

Joachim ZEKOLL

Die Anerkennungsfähigkeit von Punitive Damages – Bedarf nach einer Neubewertung?

II. Rechtsvergleichung und Rechtsangleichung

Jürgen BASEDOW

Soft Law for Private Relations in the European Union

Spyridon V. BAZINAS

Does the World Need Another Uniform Law on Factoring?

Klaus Peter BERGER

Herbert Kronke und die „Schleichende Kodifizierung“ des transnationalen Wirtschaftsrechts

Hans-Georg BOLLWEG

Die Übereinkünfte von Kapstadt: beschlossene und künftige Protokolle – Innenansichten aus deutscher Perspektive –

Michael Joachim BONELL

The New Version of the UNILEX Data Base on the Unidroit Principles and the CISG – Upgraded in Form and Enriched in Content

Richard M. BUXBAUM

Montesquieu and the Cape Town Convention: of Bankruptcy and Civil Procedure

Remo CAPONI

Nuovi strumenti processuali europei di tutela collettiva

Heather CLARK, Barbara CONCOLINO and Ana MORALES RAMOS

The Broader Legacy of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal

Michel DESCHAMPS

The Impact of the Cape Town Convention on the Assignment of Receivables

Nina DETHLOFF

Vielfalt oder Einheit? Ein Blick auf den Prozess der Angleichung des Familienrechts in den USA

Bénédicte FAUVARQUE-COSSON

Les trois paradoxes des Principes d’Unidroit relatifs aux contrats du commerce international

Marcel FONTAINE

L’harmonisation du droit des contrats dans les pays de l’OHADA :

Souvenirs et Perspectives

Martin GEBAUER

Zu den methodischen Ursprüngen funktionaler Rechtsvergleichung – Sachnorm, Kollisionsnorm und Qualifikation

Stefan J. GEIBEL

La « fiducie-fondation » : une alternative aux fondations à personnalité morale ?

Roy GOODE

Creativity and Transnational Commercial Law: from Karkhemish to Cape Town

Bernd GRZESZICK

Diversity in and by Law – the Example of Federal and State Constitutions

Christian HATTENHAUER

„Das ist Grönländisches Recht, und ein sehr Natürliches!“

Burkhard HESS

Prozessökonomie und Judicial Efficiency – Verfahrensmaximen im Schnittpunkt zwischen nationaler Kodifikation und internationaler Maßstabsbildung –

Stefan HUBER

Überregionale Privatrechtsangleichung: weiches hard law als modernes Erfolgsrezept

Erik JAYME

Giovanni Pieraccini (1918 – Viareggio – 2017) und die Entwicklung des Kunsthandelsrechts

Tatjana JOSIPOVI?

MAC Protocol and Croatian Registered Security Rights in Mining, Agricultural and Construction Equipment

Thomas KEIJSER

Enforcement of Security Interests in Transnational Commercial Law: Balancing Tradition and Innovation

Catherine KESSEDJIAN

Prendre la transnationalité au sérieux

Eva-Maria KIENINGER

Grenzüberschreitende Kreditsicherung an Mobilien 2019: Pretoria, Wien, Brüssel

Caroline KLEINER

Cryptocurrencies as Transnational Currencies?

Jens KLEINSCHMIDT

Einheit und Vielfalt im romanischen Rechtskreis am Beispiel der Vertragsaufhebung

Souichirou KOZUKA

The Cape Town Convention and the “Fitness” to the Context: Considering the Features of Aircraft, Rail and Space Financing

Sebastian KREBBER

Die Verzahnung von mitgliedstaatlichem Recht und punktuellen unionsrechtlichen Vorgaben bei der Angleichung von Arbeitsrecht

innerhalb der europäischen Union

Karl KREUZER

Religiöse Gerichte und religiöses Recht im modernen Staat

Hans KUHN

Zurück zu den Wurzeln: Die privatrechtliche Erfassung von Token im liechtensteinischen und schweizerischen Recht

Matthias LEHMANN

Vom internationalen Kapitalmarktrecht zum globalen Finanzmarktrecht

Thomas LOBINGER

Rechtsdogmatik und Rechtsvergleichung im europäischen Betriebsübergangsrecht

Robert MAGNUS

Rückholansprüche – Eine eigenständige Anspruchskategorie

Ulrich MAGNUS

CISG and Africa

Gerald MÄSCH

One Size Fits All? – Eine Skizze zum Beweismaß im Transnational Commercial Law 

Ewan MCKENDRICK and Stefan VOGENAUER

Supervening Events in Contract Law: Two Cases on the Interaction of National

Contract Laws, International Uniform Law and ‘Soft Law‘ Instruments

Charles W. MOONEY, JR.

Herbert Kronke: The Unidroit Years and Beyond

Peter-Christian MÜLLER-GRAFF

Algorithmen im Kartellrecht

Wolfgang OEHLER

Zu Nutzen und Notwendigkeit eines internationalen Einheitskaufrechts in einem leisen Gelehrtendisput zwischen Ernst Rabel und Hans Großmann-Doerth

Charalambos (Haris) P. PAMBOUKIS

Fragments of Legal Discourse on the Future of Global Law

?aslav PEJOVI?

Development of Carrier by Sea Liability: from Roman Law to the Rotterdam Rules

Andreas PIEKENBROCK

Der (Rück-)Erwerb des Nichtberechtigten – rechtsvergleichende Überlegungen zu einem Klassiker des Sachenrechts

Giuseppe B. PORTALE

Vom Codice Civile des Jahres 1942 zu den (Re)Kodifikationen: Die Suche nach einem neuen Handelsrecht

Teresa RODRÍGUEZ DE LAS HERAS BALLELL

Embracing Technological Disruption in International Transactions: Challenges for Legal Harmonization

Boris SCHINKELS

Fehlerhafte Produkte aus Fernost auf Amazon Marketplace – Für eine Produkthaftung transnationaler Warenhausplattformen als Quasi-Importeur

Kurt SIEHR

Unidroit Übereinkommen von 1995 über gestohlene oder

rechtswidrig ausgeführte Kulturgüter – Europäischer Kulturgüterschutz 25 Jahre nach dem Unidroit Übereinkommen

Rolf STÜRNER

Die Mündlichkeit im Zivilprozess – ein europaweit anerkanntes Verfahrensprinzip mit Zukunft?

Lajos VÉKÁS

Über das europäische Verbrauchervertragsrecht und die Herausforderungen bei der Umsetzung

Wolfgang WIEGAND

Brexit – ein Fall für die clausula rebus sic stantibus?

III. Handelsschiedsgerichtsbarkeit und Investor-Staat-Streitbeilegung

Mir-Hossein ABEDIAN and Reza EFTEKHAR

Invoking the Ground of Public Policy in Refusing the Recognition and Enforcement of an Arbitral Award Embodying the Remedy of Specific Performance

Georges AFFAKI

Arbitration in Banking and Financial Disputes Deconstructed

Rosemary BARKETT

A Call for More Specificity in Proposed Ethical Codes of Conduct Regarding the Submission of False Evidence in International Arbitration

Massimo V. BENEDETTELLI

“Harmonization” vs. “Pluralism” in the 1958 New York Convention: Balancing Party Autonomy with State Sovereignty

George A. BERMANN

The Self-styled “Autonomy” of International Arbitration

Charles N. BROWER

Harmonizing the Way Forward: Herbert Kronke

Giuditta CORDERO-MOSS

Towards Lean Times for Arbitrability?

Nadia DARWAZEH and Sarah LUCAS

From Paris with Love or How the French Courts Fight International Arbitral Awards Tainted by Corruption and Money Laundering

Giorgio DE NOVA

Arbitrato internazionale con sede in Italia e Prague Rules 

Siegfried H. ELSING

The New Approach to ISDS – Improvement or Setback?

Axel FLESSNER

Investitionsschutz und Schiedsrecht – Ein schräges Verhältnis

Daniel GIRSBERGER

Von Chamäleons und Hybriden in der grenzüberschreitenden Bewältigung von Wirtschaftskonflikten

Thomas JOHNSON and Sean COLENSO-SEMPLE

Investment Agreements between Developed Countries: Unintended Consequences and Disenchantment

Athanassios KAISSIS

Awards Set Aside in Their Country of Origin. Two Incompatible Schools of Thought

Christoph A. KERN

The Flight from ISDS

Katharina LUGANI

Das lex fori-Prinzip im Schiedsverfahrensrecht – ein überholter Theorienstreit?

Peter MANKOWSKI

Die Schriftform des Art. II (2) UNÜ und ihr Transfer in die digitale Moderne 1475

Werner MELIS

70 Jahre Internationale Handelsschiedsgerichtsbarkeit

Patricia NACIMIENTO, Dirk OTTO and Nicola PORT

The New York Convention and the Rule of Law: Obligation of the Tribunal to Prevent Surprises for the Parties?

Thomas PFEIFFER

Erstreckung von Schiedsvereinbarungen auf Organwalter von Gesellschaften

Jörg PIRRUNG (†)

EuGH und internationale Investitions(schieds)gerichtsbarkeit

Dorothee RUCKTESCHLER und Tanja STOOSS

Die vorzeitige Beendigung der Schiedsrichtertätigkeit

Jürgen SAMTLEBEN

Internationale Handelsschiedsgerichtsbarkeit in Lateinamerika – Eine Skizze 1529

Maxi SCHERER

Article II(2) of the New York Convention is Dead! Long Live Article II(2)! 1543

Christoph SCHREUER

Pre-Investment Activities

Rolf A. SCHÜTZE

Die Dutco-Entscheidung. Probleme der Schiedsrichterbestellung in Mehrparteienschiedsverfahren

Jamal SEIFI

Globalization of the International Arbitral Process: Trends and Implications

Bruno SIMMA and Jan ORTGIES

Six Considerations before You Begin Interim Measures Proceedings in International Arbitration

David P. STEWART

Sovereignty, Natural Resources, Injunctions, and the Public Policy Exception to the Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards

Chris THOMALE

Rechtsprechung als Öffentliches Gut – Über die gesellschaftlichen Kosten der Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit

Christian TIETJE and Andrej LANG

The (Non-)Applicability of the Monetary Gold Principle in ICSID Arbitration Concerning Matters of EU Law

Rolf TRITTMANN and Nikolaos TSOLAKIDIS

Looking into the Crystal Ball: The Future of Commercial Arbitration and European Union Law

Wolfgang WURMNEST

Die Durchsetzung von Art. 101, 102 AEUV durch Schiedsgerichte: Ein Spannungsfeld

IV. Ausländisches und deutsches Privat- und Wirtschaftsrecht

Necla AKDA? GÜNEY

Ein neues Rechtsinstitut im türkischen Aktienrecht: Die Klage auf Auflösung aus wichtigem Grund

Neil ANDREWS

Contract Law: Interpretation and Breach

Christian BALDUS

Labeo oder Das Geld, die Macht und der Tod

Christoph BENICKE

Haftung des Herstellers für Mangelfolgeschäden im Wege des Händlerregresses

Talia EINHORN

The Israeli Statute on National Book Price Maintenance – A Critical Evaluation

Frédérique FERRAND

L’avenir de la Cour de cassation française : réformer ou révolutionner ?

Holger FLEISCHER und Yannick CHATARD

Zur Reform des französischen Gesellschaftsrechts durch die Loi PACTE: Intérêt social – raison d’être – société à mission

Henry Deeb GABRIEL

From Formalism to Instrumentalism: The Inevitability of the Decline of the Concept of Title in the American Law of Personal Property Security Rights 1735

Attila HARMATHY

Credit

Hideki KANDA

Rethinking Property Rights in the Digital Age

Julia KLAUER

Die Bestellung von Pfandrechten an einen Sicherheitentreuhänder

Edgar MATYSCHOK

Europäischer Know-how-Schutz und deutsche Berufsfreiheit

Salvatore PATTI

Il testamento pubblico della persona anziana «vulnerabile»

Jorge SÁNCHEZ CORDERO

Patrimoine Culturel – Réflexions mexicaines

Uwe H. SCHNEIDER

Ad-hoc-Publizität im Konzern

Klaus-Peter SCHROEDER

Franz Anton Wilhelm Gambsjäger (1752–1816) – Ein Heidelberger Rechtslehrer im Umbruch der Epochen

Markus STOFFELS

Sprachrisiko bei Abschluss von Arbeitsverträgen mit ausländischen Arbeitnehmern

The publisher’s website is here.

ECJ on „civil and commercial matters“ under Article 1 (1) Brussels Ibis Regulation, judgment of 16 July 2020, C-73/19 – Movic

The Court decided that Article 1(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of Brussels Ibis Regulation must be interpreted as meaning that an action where the opposing parties are the authorities of a Member State and businesses established in another Member State, in which those authorities seek, primarily, findings of infringements constituting allegedly unlawful unfair commercial practices and an order for the cessation of such infringements and, as ancillary measures, an order for publicity measures and the imposition of a penalty payment, falls within the scope of the concept of ‘civil and commercial matters’ in that provision.

As AG Spzunar had proposed (see post on CoL), the Court held that

[t]o hold proceedings brought by a public authority are outside the scope of Regulation No 1215/2012 merely because of the use by that authority of evidence gathered by virtue of its public powers would undermine the practical effectiveness of one of the models of implementation of consumer protection envisaged by the EU legislature. In that model, in contrast to the one in which it is the administrative authority itself that determines the consequences that are to follow from an infringement, in circumstances such as those in the main proceedings the public authority is assigned the task of defending the interests of consumers before the courts.

The Court explained:

[26] The question posed by the referring court relates, in essence, to the determination of which court has jurisdiction to rule on actions brought by the authorities of a Member State against companies in another Member State that seek to identify and stop allegedly unlawful commercial practices of those companies that are aimed at consumers residing in the former Member State. (…).

[35] [T]he Court has repeatedly held that, although certain actions where the opposing parties are a public authority and a person governed by private law may come within the scope of Regulation No 1215/2012, it is otherwise where the public authority is acting in the exercise of its public powers (see, to that effect, judgments of 11 April 2013, Sapir and Others, C?645/11, EU:C:2013:228, paragraph 33 and the case-law cited, and of 12 September 2013, Sunico and Others, C?49/12,EU:C:2013:545, paragraph 34). (…).

[37] [I]n order to determine whether or not a matter falls within the scope of the concept of ‘civil and commercial matters’ within the meaning of Article 1(1) of Regulation No 1215/2012, and, consequently, whether it comes within the scope of that regulation, it is necessary to determine the nature of the legal relationships between the parties to the action and the subject matter of the action or,alternatively, the basis of the action and the detailed rules applicable to it (see, to that effect, judgments of 14 October 1976, LTU, 29/76, EU:C:1976:137, paragraph 4, and of 28 February 2019, Gradbeništvo Korana, C?579/17, EU:C:2019:162, paragraph 48 and the case-law cited).

[41] [T]he Court has previously held that an action concerning the prohibition on traders using unfair terms, within the meaning of Directive 93/13, in their contracts with consumers, in so far as it seeks to make relationships governed by private law subject to review by the courts, falls within the concept of a ‘civil matter’ (see, to that effect, judgment of 1 October 2002, Henkel, C?167/00, EU:C:2002:555, paragraph 30). That case-law has subsequently been reiterated and extended more generally to cessation orders under Directive 2009/22 (see, to that effect, judgment of 28 July 2016, Verein für Konsumenteninformation, C?191/15, EU:C:2016:612, paragraphs 38 and 39).

[42] It follows that actions aimed at determining and stopping unfair commercial practices, within the meaning of Directive 2005/29, are also ‘civil and commercial matters’ within the meaning of Article 1(1) of Regulation No 1215/2012.

[48] In the present case, it is apparent from the wording of Article 14(1) of the Law of 30 July 2013 and Article XVII.7 of the CEL that the Belgian authorities, in the same way as interested parties and consumer protection associations, can apply to the President of the rechtbank van koophandel (Commercial Court), subsequently the ondernemingsrechtbank (Companies Court), for a finding that the relevant national legislation has been infringed and for the making of a cessation order.

[49] It follows that the procedural position of the Belgian authorities is, in that regard, comparable to that of a consumer protection association.

A number of points were raised by the defendants against this characterization (e.g. no need to show an interest in bringing proceedings; acting in a general interest; use of evidence gathered by exercising public powers; ancillary publicity and penalty measures against the infringer), but none of them had success.

The full text of the judgment is here.

ECJ on international jurisdiction (rebuttal of presumption of the COMI for individuals) under the European Insolvency (Recast) Regulation, judgment of 16 July 2020, C?253/19 – Novo Banco

The Court decided, as had been proposed by AG Szpunar (see our post on the Opinion), that the first and fourth subparagraphs of Article 3(1) of the EIR(Recast) must be interpreted as meaning that the presumption established in that provision for determining international jurisdiction for the purposes of opening insolvency proceedings, according to which the centre of the main interests of an individual not exercising an independent business or professional activity is his or her habitual residence, is not rebutted solely because the only immovable property of that person is located outside the Member State of habitual residence.

MH and NI, a married couple who, since 2016, have been resident in Norfolk (United Kingdom) where they pursue an activity as employed persons, applied to the Portuguese courts to open insolvency proceedings against themselves. The court of first instance hearing the application declined international jurisdiction to hear that application on the ground that, under the fourth subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Regulation 2015/848, the centre of the main interests of the applicants in the main proceedings was their habitual residence, which was in the United Kingdom, and that consequently the courts of that Member State had jurisdiction to open insolvency proceedings. MH and NI lodged an appeal against the judgment given at first instance before the referring court claiming that that judgment was based on a misinterpretation of the rules laid down in Regulation 2015/848. They claim that the centre of their main interests is not their habitual residence in the United Kingdom, but rather it is in Portugal, the Member State where the sole immovable asset which they own is located and where all the transactions and all the contracts leading to their insolvency were conducted and concluded. Furthermore, there is no connection between their place of habitual residence and the events that led to their insolvency, which occurred entirely in Portugal. MH and NI therefore ask that the Portuguese authorities be recognised as having international jurisdiction.

Article 3 of the EIR (Recast) provides:

1.The courts of the Member State within the territory of which the centre of the debtor’s main interests is situated shall have jurisdiction to open insolvency proceedings (‘main insolvency proceedings’). The centre of main interests shall be the place where the debtor conducts the administration of its interests on a regular basis and which is ascertainable by third parties.

In the case of a company or legal person, the place of the registered office shall be presumed to be the centre of its main interests in the absence of proof to the contrary. That presumption shall only apply if the registered office has not been moved to another Member State within the 3-month period prior to the request for the opening of insolvency proceedings.

In the case of an individual exercising an independent business or professional activity, the centre of main interests shall be presumed to be that individual’s principal place of business in the absence of proof to the contrary. That presumption shall only apply if the individual’s principal place of business has not been moved to another Member State within the 3-month period prior to the request for the opening of insolvency proceedings.

In the case of any other individual, the centre of main interests shall be presumed to be the place of the individual’s habitual residence in the absence of proof to the contrary. This presumption shall only apply if the habitual residence has not been moved to another Member State within the 6-month period prior to the request for the opening of insolvency proceedings.

The Court explained:

„[24] … [T]he relevant criteria for determining the centre of the main interests of individuals not exercising an independent business or professional activity are those connected with their financial and economic situation which corresponds to the place where they conduct the administration of their economic interests or the majority of their revenue is earned and spent, or the place where the greater part of their assets is located.

[25] In the second place, it is necessary to clarify the scope of the presumption established in the fourth subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Regulation 2015/848. It follows from the actual wording of that provision, read in the light of the first subparagraph of Article 3(1) of that regulation, that individuals not exercising an independent business or professional activity are presumed, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to conduct the administration of their interests on a regular basis in the place of their habitual residence, since there is a strong possibility that that place corresponds to the centre of their main economic interests. It follows that, as long as that presumption is not rebutted, the courts of the Member States where that residence is located have international jurisdiction to open insolvency proceedings against that individual.“

[26] However, the fourth subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Regulation 2015/848 provides that that presumption applies only until there is proof to the contrary, and recital 30 of that regulation states that it should be possible to rebut that presumption, for example where the major part of the debtor‘s assets is located outside the Member State of the debtor’s habitual residence, or where it can be established that the principal reason for moving was to file for insolvency proceedings in the new jurisdiction and where such filing would materially impair the interests of creditors whose dealings with the debtor took place prior to the relocation.

[27] As the Advocate General stated in point 55 of his Opinion, the mere fact that circumstances referred to in that recital are present is not sufficient to rebut the presumption set out in the fourth subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Regulation 2015/848.

[28] Although the location of the debtor’s assets is one of the objective criteria, ascertainable by third parties, to be taken into consideration when determining the place where the debtor conducts the administration of his or her interests on a regular basis, that presumption may be reversed only following an overall assessment of all the objective criteria. It follows that the fact that the only immovable property of an individual not exercising an independent business or professional activity is located outside the Member State of his or her habitual residence is not sufficient on its own to rebut that presumption.“

The full text of the judgment is here.