Newsarchiv

News

18. Dezember 2025

WHOA SPECIAL – 4. TEIL

Das WHOA-Verfahren gibt Unternehmen in finanzieller Krise die Chance, ihre Schulden zu restrukturieren und so die Insolvenz lebensfähiger Unternehmen zu vermeiden. In den letzten vier Jahren hat sich das WHOA-Verfahren als flexibles Instrument für grenzüberschreitende Restrukturierungen bewährt, sowohl eigenständig als auch in Kombination mit ausländischen Verfahren wie dem US-amerikanischen „Chapter 11“ oder dem englischen „Scheme of Arrangement“ bzw. dem „Part 26A Restructuring Plan“.

News

14. Oktober 2025

Wagevoe

Since 1 January 2025, a new act was introduced for shareholder disputes: the ‘Act amending the dispute resolution rules and clarifying the admissibility requirements for inquiry proceedings’ (in short: Wagevoe). Before 2025, anyone who wanted to buy out a co-shareholder or leave a company could usually expect a long process involving various procedures. As my colleague Rick Dijksterhuis explained at the time in his earlier contribution on this bill, the legislator had one clear goal: to make the resolution of shareholder disputes faster, simpler and more practical. In practice, we see that this has an impact on the way shareholders litigate.

News

13. August 2025

Update on the Vifo Act

The Netherlands' economic security policy is constantly evolving. In this context, the Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions (Security Screening) Act (Vifo Act) has been in force since 1 June 2023. The Act provides for a security assessment on the basis of which certain investments, mergers and acquisitions must be approved in advance by the Minister of Economic Affairs. For more information about the content and operation of the Vifo Act, please refer to my previous posts in this respect. In this news item, I provide an update on the Vifo Act.

News

15. Juli 2025

ACCESS OF UBO REGISTER FOR THE NOTARIAL PROFESSION IS AROUND THE CORNER

Last June, an agreement was reached and signed between the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (“CoC”) and the Dutch Royal Notarial Professional Organization (“RNPO”), to again allow civil law notaries in the Netherlands direct access to the UBO register.

News

13. Juni 2025

General terms and conditions: no absolute shield against liability

General terms and conditions are a key instrument for many entrepreneurs aiming to minimize legal risks. These documents typically contain clauses on liability, complaint periods, payment terms and governing law.

News

27. Mai 2025

Das Moratorium im WHOA

Das Gesetz zur Bestätigung des außergerichtlichen Vergleichs (kurz: WHOA) erleichtert es einem Unternehmen, das sich in finanziellen Schwierigkeiten befindet, mit seinen Gläubigern und Gesellschaftern an einen Tisch zu sitzen und Vereinbarungen zur Sanierung seiner Schuldenlast. Aus dem Jahresbericht 2023 der Gruppe spezialisierter Richter und Mitarbeiter, die mit der Umsetzung des WHOA beauftragt sind (der WHOA-Pool), geht unter anderem hervor, dass im Jahr 2023 das Moratorium von allen möglichen Restrukturierungsinstrumenten, die das WHOA bietet, am häufigsten beantragt wurde.

News

22. Mai 2025

Legislative proposal ACM Call-In Power Act: possible expansion of the scope of merger control supervision by the Dutch Competition Authority

On 18 March 2025, Members of the Dutch Parliament Julian Boshoff (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Daniëlle Jansen (Nieuw Sociaal Contract) introduced a legislative proposal seeking to expand the enforcement powers of the Dutch Competition Authority (known as the Autoriteit Consument & Markt or ACM). Specifically, the proposal aims to empower the ACM to call in concentrations that fall below the applicable turnover thresholds, where such concentrations could nonetheless significantly impede effective competition in the Dutch market or a part thereof.

News

13. Mai 2025

Dutch Supreme Court: Helpling Cleaners were Temporary Agency Workers

On 11 April 2025 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that cleaners who worked through the online platform Helpling had a temporary agency contract (a specific type of employment contract) with Helpling. This confirms the earlier ruling by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal.

News

28. März 2025

Preparation, adoption and publication of financial statements: what are the rules again?

Pursuant to Section 2:210 of the Civil Code, the management board of a private limited liability company (BV) or public limited company (NV) must prepare annual accounts and make them available for inspection at the company's offices within five months of the end of the financial year, subject to a maximum five-month extension on account of special circumstances.

News

28. März 2025

HEUSSEN recognized as a ‘Leading Firm’ by The Legal500

HEUSSEN is proud to announce that we have once again been recognized as a Leading Firm in the latest Legal500 rankings. This recognition reflects the dedication, expertise, and hard work of our team, as well as the trust of our clients.

News

24. März 2025

Proposed changes to the EU ESG legislation: the first Omnibus package

Recently, the European Commission proposed to simplify certain Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) legislation in order to facilitate competitiveness and unlock additional investment capacity of the European Union. As part of the ESG legislation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance Regulation (EU Taxonomy Regulation) were adopted between the years 2020 and 2024.

News

10. Februar 2025

The (pre-trial) right of inspection: excludable?

The new law of evidence, which came into force in early 2025, has already been the subject of extensive discussion and debate. One of the most striking changes is the introduction of the pre-trial right of inspection. This allows a party to request data – such as written documents and electronic information – from a counterparty or third party, without court intervention. In principle, the counterparty and third party are obliged to comply. Under former law, a party had the right of inspection only when granted by the court in legal proceedings. An as of yet unanswered question is whether and to what extent the (pre-trial) right of inspection can be excluded. In other words: can parties agree that they are not obliged to comply with a (future) information request?

News

19. Dezember 2024

WHOA SPECIAL – 3. TEIL

Der Restrukturierungsversuch eines Unternehmens kann durch verschiedene Parteien gefährdet werden. Damit der Schuldner das Unternehmen erfolgreich restrukturieren kann, bietet das WHOA-Gesetz dem Schuldner unterschiedliche Schutzmaßnahmen.

News

6. Dezember 2024

StaRUG-Verfahren der VARTA AG

Im Zuge unserer WHOA-Specials möchten wir auf ein aktuelles und interessantes StaRUG-Verfahren aus Deutschland aufmerksam machen.

Die VARTA AG – ein deutscher Hersteller für Lithium-Ionen-Batterien, der weltweit agiert – hat am 21. Juli 2024 beim Amtsgericht Stuttgart die Durchführung eines StaRUG-Verfahrens angezeigt. Das Unternehmen befindet sich in einer finanziellen Notlage und eine Restrukturierung der Schulden ist notwendig, um ein Insolvenzverfahren zu vermeiden.

News

7. Oktober 2024

Das WHOA wird schrittweise im Insolvenzrecht verankert

Seit dem Inkrafttreten des niederländischen Gesetzes zur Bestätigung des außergerichtlichen Vergleichs (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord, und im Nachfolgenden: das „WHOA-Gesetz“) im Jahr 2021, erstellt der WHOA-Pool - eine Gruppe von spezialisierten Richtern und Mitarbeitern, die mit der Anwendung des WHOA beauftragt sind – jedes Jahr einen Jahresbericht. Die wichtigste Schlussfolgerung des Jahresberichts 2023, der am 18. Juni 2024 veröffentlicht wurde, lautet, dass das WHOA-Gesetz sich schrittweise im Insolvenzrecht verankert. Im Folgenden erfahren Sie mehr über die Zahlen, Fakten und Trends im Zusammenhang mit dem WHOA-Gesetz im Jahr 2023.

News

24. September 2024

HEUSSEN recognized as a 'Recommended Firm 2024' by IFLR1000

HEUSSEN Lawyers and Notaries proudly announces its remarkable achievement in the IFLR1000 2024 rankings. The firm has been awarded a tier 3 ranking in Banking and a tier 5 ranking in M&A, which affirms its status as a go-to firm with regard to both practices. “We are proud of our clients’ recognition for our commitment, knowledge and pragmatic approach that has resulted in these great rankings of our Banking & Finance and M&A practices again this year.”, says Martijn Koot, Partner at HEUSSEN.

News

24. September 2024

The choice of forum in general terms and conditions in international B2B relationships: key considerations

In international business relationships, parties frequently opt to include a choice of forum clause in their agreements or general terms and conditions. This enables them to designate a specific court, such as a Dutch court, with exclusive jurisdiction to handle any disputes that may arise. Due to the significant implications of such exclusivity, a choice of forum requires an agreement, meaning that they must reach a genuine consensus on the choice of forum. Disputes frequently arise regarding the validity of a choice of forum clause, particularly when such clause is embedded in general terms and conditions. This article provides an overview of the requirements for establishing a valid choice of forum in general terms and conditions and concludes with practical tips for ensuring, as far as possible, the enforceability of such clauses.

News

6. August 2024

No temporary agency contact between Temper and the workers

Recently the Amsterdam District Court (ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2024:3987) ruled that no temporary agency contract (an employment contract between a temp agency and an employee) between Temper, an online platform for flexible work, and the workers.

News

27. Mai 2024

Litigation funding and legal accessibility

Litigation funding, also known as third-party funding, is emerging. It offers opportunities for individuals and groups who otherwise would not have the financial means to pursue a lawsuit. In this blog, we explain what litigation funding is and discuss recent developments, its impact, and considerations.

News

15. April 2024

THRESHOLDS REGARDING ANNUAL ACCOUNTS INCREASED

On 13 March 2023 the Order in Council ("OiC") pursuant to which the thresholds for, among other things, the audit requirement of annual accounts are increased entered into force. The OiC transposes Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Commission which was published on October 19, 2023 into Dutch legislation.