Regulatory Competition in European Company Law. Where Do We Stand Twenty Years after Centros?

36 Pages Posted: 23 May 2019 Last revised: 28 May 2019

See all articles by Stefano Lombardo

Stefano Lombardo

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano - CRELE Center for Research in Law and Economics; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); Free University of Bozen-Bolzano - Faculty of Economics and Management

Date Written: May 22, 2019

Abstract

This article provides an overview of freedom of establishment and developments in the European market for corporate charters twenty years after the ECJ's important Centros decision of March 1999. Both for initial incorporations and reincorporations, ECJ case law has emerged as a key driver in providing the demand side the possibility to freely choose the applicable law. In fact, private limited companies in particular have reacted positively to the opportunities offered. From the supply side perspective, Member States have responded to the new challenges, particularly with respect to the relaxation of the minimal capital requirements of private limited liability companies. Nevertheless, the recent Kornhaas case of 2015 has complicated the picture of the European market for corporate charters, with the possible intersections between company law and insolvency law that may modify the incentives for a free choice of company law.

Keywords: EU company law, Centros, Freedom of establishment, Regulatory competition, Regulatory arbitrage

JEL Classification: K20, K22

Suggested Citation

Lombardo, Stefano and Lombardo, Stefano, Regulatory Competition in European Company Law. Where Do We Stand Twenty Years after Centros? (May 22, 2019). European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) - Law Working Paper No. 452/2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3392502 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3392502

Stefano Lombardo (Contact Author)

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano - CRELE Center for Research in Law and Economics ( email )

Free University of Bolzano
Piazza Universita
Bolzano, BZ 39100
Italy

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano - Faculty of Economics and Management

Piazza Universita
Bolzano-Bozen (BZ), 39100
Italy
+39 0471 013491 (Phone)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
479
Abstract Views
1,604
Rank
109,501
PlumX Metrics