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,Sv International Business Law (IBL)
You can take the reader with you to the exam
HC1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
What? ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Why?..................................................................................................................................................................... 4
History .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
International principles of business ....................................................................................................................... 5
Interface between national and international business law .................................................................................. 5
Actors of international business law ..................................................................................................................... 5
A) States ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
B) International organisations ........................................................................................................................... 7
C) Business ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
D) NGO’s ........................................................................................................................................................... 7
HC2 + HC3 Private international law ........................................................................................................................ 8
I. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Terminology ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Main functions .................................................................................................................................................. 8
Where to find PIL? ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Private international law in relation to international business law ................................................................... 8
II. Jurisdiction ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
Conflict of laws versus jurisdictional conflicts? ................................................................................................. 8
Brussels I regulation (recast) 2012 .................................................................................................................... 9
III. Choice of law.................................................................................................................................................. 16
General approach ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Technical problems ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Contracts ........................................................................................................................................................ 16
HC4 + HC8 International trade & investment law.................................................................................................. 17
International trade law ....................................................................................................................................... 17
I. Institutional framework ............................................................................................................................... 17
II. Rules of internationale trade....................................................................................................................... 19
III. Current tendencies in international trade .................................................................................................. 23
Investment law.................................................................................................................................................... 24
General ........................................................................................................................................................... 24
Framework ..................................................................................................................................................... 24
HC5+HC6 Corporate mobility ................................................................................................................................. 26
Introduction & concepts...................................................................................................................................... 26
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 26
Conflict of law (“lex societatis”) ...................................................................................................................... 26
When real seat and incorporation clash ......................................................................................................... 27
What drives corporate mobility ? ................................................................................................................... 28
The race for corporate charters ...................................................................................................................... 28
Corporate mobility in the EU: different techniques ............................................................................................. 29
1. Cross-border transfer of seat / freedom of establishment .......................................................................... 29
2. Cross-border conversions ........................................................................................................................... 34
3. European Company .................................................................................................................................... 36
Closing remarks .............................................................................................................................................. 37
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, Other examples of common markets? ................................................................................................................ 37
HC7 ESG .................................................................................................................................................................. 37
ESG and its importance ....................................................................................................................................... 37
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 37
Importance of ESG .......................................................................................................................................... 39
The changing ESG landscape .............................................................................................................................. 39
ESG – a changing landscape ............................................................................................................................ 39
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ...................................................................................... 40
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) ............................................................................. 40
ESG litigation (risk).............................................................................................................................................. 43
Evolution......................................................................................................................................................... 43
How?............................................................................................................................................................... 43
Shell ................................................................................................................................................................ 44
Different liability based on who was at fault ................................................................................................... 45
HC9-10 + 13-14 International Commercial Transactions ....................................................................................... 46
International Contract Law ................................................................................................................................. 46
I. Sources of international contracts ............................................................................................................... 46
II. Genetics of international contracts ............................................................................................................. 48
III. The dynamic process of contract formation .............................................................................................. 49
A. International sale of goods ............................................................................................................................. 52
CISG ................................................................................................................................................................ 56
B. Building and construction projects .................................................................................................................. 61
Turnkey projects ............................................................................................................................................. 61
C. Transfer of technology and license contracts .................................................................................................. 63
Intellectual property (IP) ................................................................................................................................. 63
D. Distribution contracts ..................................................................................................................................... 64
Franchising...................................................................................................................................................... 64
Dealership (= concessieovereenkomst)........................................................................................................... 65
EU Directive on commercial agency (= handelsagentuur) ............................................................................... 66
E. Financing: letters of credit............................................................................................................................... 71
HC11-12 Cross-border insolvency .......................................................................................................................... 72
Concepts ............................................................................................................................................................. 72
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 72
Why?............................................................................................................................................................... 72
How?............................................................................................................................................................... 72
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 72
Transnational laws: EU leads the way (again) .................................................................................................... 74
EIR (EU Insolvency Regulation) ....................................................................................................................... 74
ECJ, Kornhaas 11 December 2015 C-594/14 ................................................................................................... 76
Restructuring Directive 2019/1023 ................................................................................................................. 77
EU Proposal for substantive harmonization insolvency law ............................................................................ 78
Conclusions for EU .......................................................................................................................................... 78
Soft law: the MLCBI (Model Law Cross-Border Insolvency) ................................................................................. 78
4 principles ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
National laws (selection) ..................................................................................................................................... 80
US Chapter 15 ................................................................................................................................................. 80
UK ................................................................................................................................................................... 80
HC14 Digital law ..................................................................................................................................................... 81
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, What? ................................................................................................................................................................. 81
DSA ..................................................................................................................................................................... 81
AI-act .................................................................................................................................................................. 81
What ............................................................................................................................................................... 81
HC15 Competition law ........................................................................................................................................... 83
Concepts ............................................................................................................................................................. 83
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 83
Where? ........................................................................................................................................................... 83
Why?............................................................................................................................................................... 83
When? ............................................................................................................................................................ 83
EU Competition law (vs. US antitrust law)........................................................................................................... 83
EU competition law......................................................................................................................................... 83
Types .............................................................................................................................................................. 83
Importance of compliance .............................................................................................................................. 84
The legislative framework of Article 101 TFEU................................................................................................ 84
US antitrust law (vs. EU competition law) ........................................................................................................... 86
Comp. with US ................................................................................................................................................ 86
EU vs. US ......................................................................................................................................................... 86
HC16 + HC17 International arbitration & investment dispute resolution ............................................................. 87
I. International arbitration .................................................................................................................................. 87
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 87
Why?............................................................................................................................................................... 87
Institutional vs. ad hoc .................................................................................................................................... 88
Arbitration clauses .......................................................................................................................................... 88
Enforceability .................................................................................................................................................. 89
II. Investment dispute settlement ........................................................................................................................ 91
What? ............................................................................................................................................................. 91
Why?............................................................................................................................................................... 91
Investor-state dispute resolution (ISDS) .......................................................................................................... 91
Substantive claims and defenses (=> substantive legal standards protecting foreign investments) ................ 92
Specialised dispute resolution mechanisms (often international arbitration) ................................................. 92
Criticism .......................................................................................................................................................... 96
Multilateral Investment Court (EU) ................................................................................................................. 96
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