International Company Law in View of the Centros decision of the ECJ

European Business Organization Law Review

Volumn 1, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 125-146

  Behrens, Peter ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84958880033     PISSN: 15667529     EISSN: 17416205     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S1566752900000082     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Regarding the term of “recognition” of foreign companies, see Behrens, “Der Anerken-nungsbegriff des Internationalen Gesellschaftsrechts” [The Concept of Recognition in International Company Law], Zeitschrift für Unternehmens- und Gesellschaftsrecht, ZGR (1978) 499 ff.
2. On questions relating to a company's transfer of domicile, see Behrens, Die Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung im internationalen und europäischen Recht [The GmbH in International and European Law], 2nd edn. (1997), Abschnitt: Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht und Fremden-recht [Section: International Company Law and Foreign Law], para. IPR 61 ff. with further references.
3. See Behrens, “Niederlassungsfreiheit und internationales Gesellschaftsrecht” [Freedom of Establishment and International Company Law], 52 Rabels Zeitschrift (1988) 498 ff.
4. idem, “Die Umstrukturierung von Unternehmen durch Sitzverlegung oder Fusion über die Grenze im Licht der Niederlassungsfreiheit im Europäischen Binnenmarkt (Art. 52 und 58 EWGV)”, [The Reorganization of Enterprises by a Cross-Border Transfer of Domicile or International Merger in the Light of the Freedom of Establishment, Arts. 52 and 58 ECT], ZGR (1994) 1 ff.
5. see in particular the extensive survey by Brödermann in Brödermann and Iversen, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht (European Community Law and Private International Law), 57 Beiträge zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht (1994), pp. 60 ff. at para. 96 ff.
6. C-81/87 The Queen v. Daily Mail and General Trust PLC, [1988] ECR 5483 = IPRax (1989) 381 ff.
7. See hereto critically Behrens, “Die grenzüberschreitende Sitzverlegung von Gesellschaften in der EWG” [The Cross-Border Transfer of Company Domicile within the EEC], IPRax (1989) 354 at 359.
8. IPRax (1999) 364, n. 40.
9. C-212/97 Centros Ltd. v. Erhvervs- og Selskabssyrelsen, [1999] ECR 1–1459.
10. See hereto Behrens, ECR. n. 2, para. IPR 3 ff.
11. Staudinger (-Groβfeld), Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht [International Company Law] (1998), para. 26 ff.
12. Zimmer, Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht [International Company Law] (1996) p. 233
13. see also the review hereto by Behrens, 63 Rabels Zeitschrift (1999) 391 ff.
14. See the convincing explanations in Brödermann, Rabels Zeitschrift n. 3, pp. 78 ff., para. 126 ff.
15. Since 1986, the direct applicability of Article 58 ECT [now Article 48 EC] has been repeatedly confirmed by the ECJ: C-270/83 Commission v. French Republic, [1986] ECR 273 at 304, recital 18
16. C-79/85 Segers v. Bestuur van de Bedrijfsvereniging voor Bank- en Verzekeringswezen, Groothandel en Vrije Beroepen, [1986] ECR 2375 at 2387, recitals 12–14 and 16
17. particularly clearly the Daily Mail decision, ECR n. 4, recital 15.
18. In the past: Wiedemann, Gesellschaftsrecht I: Grundlagen [Company Law I: Principles] (1980), 793–794
19. Staudinger (-GroBfeld), Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht (10th/11th edn. 1981) para. 92
20. see now for the opposite view Staudinger (-GroBfeld), Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht n. 9, para. 120.
21. Critically BayObLG (Bayerisches Oberlandesgericht) 21 March 1986, BayObLGZ 1986, 61at 73 = Neue Juristische Wochenschrift, NJW (1986) 3029 at 3032
22. BayObLG 18 September 1986, BayObLGZ 1986,35 lat 359–360 = Recht der internationalen Wirschaft (Zeitschrift), RIW (1987) 52 at 54
23. sceptical even after the Daily Mail decision is Ebke, “Die ‘ausländische Kapital-gesellschaft & Co. KG’ und das Europäische Gemeinschaftsrecht” [The Limited Partnership with a Foreign Company Limited by Shares as General Partner under European Community Law], ZGR (1987) 245 at 250.
24. In the past: Wiedemann and Staudinger (-GroBfeld), ZGR n. 14
25. Ebke, ZGR n. 15.
26. See ZGR n. 6.
27. Explicitly Drobing, “Gemeinschaftsrecht und internationales Gesellschaftsrecht - ‘Daily Mail’ und die Folgen” [Community Law and International Company Law - Daily Mail and its consequences], in: von Bar (ed.), Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht [European Community Law and Private International Law] (1991) pp. 185 ff., 190.
28. See Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht, n. 8.
29. See Behrens, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht, n. 1.
30. See also in detail most recently Brödermann, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 3, pp. 81 ff., para. 133 ff.
31. See Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 12.
32. Zimmer, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht. n. 10.
33. To the fact that the reference in Article 48 EC is limited to the substantive laws of the state of establishment and, therefore, does not include the conflict rules, see Brödermann, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 3, pp. 75 ff., para. 121 ff.
34. See the ECJ decisions cited Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 12.
35. Such discrimination was discussed in the decisions cited Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 12.
36. See Daily Mail decision, Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht n. 4, recital 21.
37. See the EEC Council in Title I of its General Programmes for the Abolition of Restrictions to the Freedom of Services and to the Freedom of Establishment, both of 18 December 1962, OJ English Special Edition (2nd Series) DC, p. 3 (services) and p. 7 (establishment).
38. C-33/74 Van Binsbergen, [1974] ECR 1299, recital 13.
39. C-206/94 Paletta, [1996] ECR 1–2357, recital 24.
40. According to this theory, pseudo-foreign companies without any cross-border relations except their foreign law of incorporation should be judged exclusively under domestic law, see ECR n. 10.
41. EEC Rome Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations of June 19,1980, OJ [1980] L 266/1 = 19 1LM (1980) 1492.
42. See hereto Brödermann, OJ n. 3, pp. 151 ff., para. 274 ff.
43. This has clearly been stated in the decisions referred to in the Centros decision: C-19/92 Kraus, [1993] ECR 1–1663, recital 32
44. C-55/94 Gebhardt, [1995] ECR 1–4165, recital 37.
45. “If the business of a company formed under foreign law is conducted in or from Switzerland, the liability of the persons acting on behalf of the company shall be governed by Swiss law.” Regarding the exception from the general applicability of the law of incorporation by favouring the domestic law of seat, see the supporters of a “restricted theory of incorporation”; Behrens, ECR. n. 2, para. IPR 23
46. sceptical hereto see Zimmer, ECR. n. 10, p. 215.
47. See ECR n. 6.
48. Critical in this context Behrens, EuZW n. 3, 512.
49. Extensively hereto Zimmer, EuZW. n. 10, pp. 241 ff.
50. See hereto idem pp. 327 ff.
51. Correctly idem pp. 327 ff.
52. Idem, pp. 387 ff.
53. Eidenmüller and Rehm, “Gesellschafts- und zivilrechtliche Folgeprobleme der Sitztheorie” [Company and Private Law Problems Resulting from the Real Seat Theory], ZGR (1997) 89–114.
54. This has been repeatedly emphasized by Zimmer, ZGR. n. 10, e.g., on p. 188.
55. See ZGR n. 6.
56. On the conflict rules of liability see Behrens, “Der Durchgriff über die Grenze” [Piercing the Corporate Veil across National Borders], 46 Rabels Zeitschrift (1982) 308 at 331ff.
57. Hereto already Behrens, Rabels Zeitschrift n. 3, at 518.
58. See hereto Behrens, “Identitätswahrende Sitzverlegung einer Kapitalgesellschaft von Luxemburg in die Bundesrepublik Deutschland” [The Transfer of Domicile from Luxembourg to Germany Without Destroying the Legal Personality of the Company], RIW (1986) 590 ff.
59. idem ZGR (1994), RIW n. 3,1 at 24
60. K. Schmidt, “Sitzverlegungsrichtlinie, Freizügigkeit und Gesell-schaftsrechtspraxis” [The Directive on the Transfer of Domicile, Freedom of Movement and Company Law Practice], ZGR (1999) 20 at 22 ff.
61. Regarding this characterization see Behrens, ZGR n. 50.
62. The draft, issued by the Commission, was published in Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht, ZIP (1997) 1721 ff. (Doc. XV/D2/6002/97-REV02, 5 March 1998)
63. see also K. Schmidt, Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht, ZIP n. 50.
64. On completion of this study (July 1999) the following reviews were published on the decision: G.H. Roth, “Gründungstheorie: ist der Damm gebrochen?” [Theory of incorporation: a breakthrough?], ZIP (1999) 861 ff.
65. Werlauff, “Ausländische Gesellschaft, inländische Aktivität” [Foreign Company, Domestic Activities], ZIP (1999) 867 ff.
66. Freitag, “Der Wettbewerb der Rechtsordnungen im Internationalen Gesellschaftsrecht” [Competition of Legal Systems in International Company Law], EuZW (1999) 267 ff.
67. Höfling, “Die Centros-Entscheidung des EuGH - auf dem Weg zu einer Überlagerungstheorie für Europa” [The Centros Decision of the ECJ - on the Way to an Overlapping Theory for Europe], DB (1999) 1206 ff.
68. Ebke, “Das Schicksal der Sitztheorie nach dem Centros-Urteil des EuGH” [The Fate of the Theory of Domicile after the Centros Decision of the ECJ], JZ (1999) 656 ff.
69. Ulmer, “Schutzinstrumente gegen die Gefahren aus der Geschäftstätigkeit inländischer Zweigniederlassungen von Kapital-gesellschaften mit fiktivem Auslandssitz” [Instruments of Protection against the Dangers Imminent in Doing Business with Domestic Branches of Companies with a Fictitious Foreign Seat], JZ (1999) 662 ff.
70. Kindler, “Niederlassungsfreiheit für Scheinauslandsgesellschaften? - Die Centros-Entscheidung des EuGH und das internationale Privatrecht” [Freedom of Establishment for Pseudo Foreign Companies? - The Centros Decision of the ECJ and Private International Law], NJW (1999) 2064 ff.
71. see also the following short comments: Leible, Neue Zeitschrift für Gesellschaftsrecht, NZG (1999) 300 ff.
72. Neye, Entscheidungen zum Wirtschaftsrecht, EwiR (1999) 259
73. Meilicke, DerBetrieb (Zeitschrift) DB (1999) 625 ff.
74. Sedemund and Hausmann, Betriebs-Berater, BB (1999) 810.