1st German Insolvency Congress in Berlin attracts more than 400 attendees practitioners
April 02, 2004

The 1st German Insolvency Congress took place in Berlin on March 25 and 26, 2004. The event was organized by the Working Group on Insolvency Law and Reorganization of the German Bar Association (Deutscher Anwaltverein) and attracted more than 400 attendees. Guest speakers included the German Minister of Justice, Brigitte Zypries and the Minister of Economics and Workforce, Wolfgang Clement as well as Prof.Roland Berger, one of the most recognized business recovery specialists in Germany. The event took place in the Berlin Conference Centre and included workshops on the effect of opening insolvency procedures on statutory duties of the debtor's management, discussion on actual case-law on insolvency procedures for natural persons as well as debt relief, a workshop on the financing of small and medium enterprises and the effects of rating and Basel II and a workshop on practical problems for insolvency judges. On the second day, the president of the working group, Horst Piepenburg (insolvency trustee of Babcock-Borsig) provided an overview on de-facto group insolvency which was followed by a broad discussion in the plenum. The day ended with an overview on the actual case-law on employee entitlements in insolvency, tax law in insolvency and a discussion on the fees of insolvency trustees in Germany.

The conference was held in German language and provided a broad overview not only on the latest and forthcoming developments in insolvency law but also a forum for insolvency professionals to exchange ideas and experience as there was an interesting evening program for the attendees as well as for the accompanying persons.

The working group is planning to hold the Berlin conference on an annual basis.

Cimejes with its own booth was represented by Michael Martinez Ferber, Thomas Siering and Justus Schneidewind. We will continue to inform insolvency professionals on the latest developments in the German insolvency scene.