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.

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“.

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.