3 National Report for Belgium »
Roel Fransis
From: Ranking and Priority of Creditors
Edited By: Dennis Faber, Niels Vermunt, Jason Kilborn, Tomáš Richter, Ignacio Tirado
This chapter discusses the law on creditor claims in Belgium. Legislators have limited the power of secured creditors to take individual enforcement actions with regard to their collateral, notwithstanding the opening of insolvency proceedings. For bankruptcy proceedings, the Bankruptcy Act of 8 August 1997 (BA) introduced a ‘cooling-off period’, imposing a temporary stay on individual enforcement actions by secured creditors. For judicial reorganization proceedings, the 31 January 2009 Act on the Continuity of Enterprises (BCA) imposes a general stay on enforcement actions, which also affects secured and preferential creditors. The remainder of the chapter looks into insolvency claims, administration claims, and non-enforceable claims in turn. Each part covers: the definition and scope of the claim; rules for submission, verification, and satisfaction or admission of claims; ranking of claims; and voting and other participation rights in insolvency proceedings.