Publications

On 7 December 2022, the European Commission published the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law. The Proposal is intended...

ESG: Environmental, Social & Governance

Over a relatively short period of time, the implementation of ESG (environmental, social and governance) aspects in commerce has grown to become a strategic priority at management level. While the substance of ESG is likely to evolve in the coming years, the underlying impulse for businesses to make a social contribution, and not just an economic one, is here to stay. In essence, it is about maintaining and reinforcing the social licence of a business to operate in a rapidly changing world. As a result, ESG goes to the heart of every business. Future-looking companies Not all aspects of E, S and G are priorities for all companies. Companies will carefully have to weigh which ESG aspects they want to focus on. For that reason, it is instructive to observe organisations that approach ESG in a rigorous, strategy-driven, socially attuned way. McKinsey calls these organisations ‘for­ward-look­ing companies’. They make ESG intrinsic to their strategy by deliberately applying those ESG aspects that connect to the core of their business. Forward-looking companies also promote competition by standing out and using good corporate citizenship to contribute to finding solutions to existential challenges, such as climate change. Distinguishing role Whatever your company's ambition, you will always need to comply with the ESG regulations, including those on environmental legislation, labour-law issues and governance. But forward-looking companies take it one step further, and usually raise the bar by focusing on certain aspects of ESG in which they can play a leading or distinguishing role. Ideally, this will also motivate similar companies to take a comparable route when it comes to ESG. Roadmap to social profit This ESG special publication provides company lawyers a concise overview of the most important ESG regulations, as well as concrete tools to give managers better advice in the field of ESG. Various aspects and elements of a company will be discussed: from the distribution chain to commercial property, from sustainable financing issues to the desired level of diversity and inclusivity within the population, and from governance to ESG litigation.

On 26 May 2020, the Act on the confirmation of private restructuring plans (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord or WHOA) was adopted by the Dutch parliamentary House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer)...

The Act on the confirmation of private plans (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord or WHOA) was submitted to the Dutch parliament last year and, once adopted, introduces a framework under which tailor-made...

The year covered by this Annual Review has been a challenging one. Against a backdrop of political uncertainty, markets have been volatile as investors continue searching for above-average returns. Introduction...

On 5 February 2016 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the fact that a trustee in bankruptcy unlawfully collected pledged receivables has no consequences for the ranking of his salary. That the trustee...

In its 18 December 2015 ABN/Marell judgement, the Dutch Supreme Court held that if secured debt is pledged, the holder of that right of pledge has the authority to enforce not only its own pledge but...