European Comparative Company Law

This book examines important aspects of the company laws of seven European countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It also covers the European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) and the European Company (SE). There are currently major reforms underway or recently completed of company law within all the European jurisdictions, and the European Commission has adopted an extensive action plan. This book is a contribution to the emerging discipline of European company law where both the harmonisation of company law by the EU, and also national jurisdictions are the important features. The EU Company Law Directives, the case law of the Court of Justice on the directives and the right to free movement and establishment in the Treaty of Rome, are considered. It makes a contribution to a better understanding of European company law at a time of reform and change.

1. The emerging discipline of European company law; 2. EC company law and comparative company law: some methodological problems; 3. Formation of companies (also including the free movement, Centros type problems); 4. Forms of business organisation; 5. Management and control; 6. Share and loan capital; 7. Protection of minority rights; 8. Employee participation; 9. Groups of companies; 10. Mergers, divisions, acquisitions and take-overs, and their cross-border aspects; 11. Investor protection and the regulation of insider trading; 12. Corporate insolvency.