European Corporate and Household Insolvency – An Interactive Workshop

In June 2026, the IMF Legal Department delivered the 15th edition of its Workshop on European Corporate and Household Insolvency. 

The workshop has established itself as a valuable forum for policymakers and public officials across Europe to discuss recent trends, policy issues, and legal developments in insolvency and creditor rights. Over three days, participants engage in candid and interactive discussions on some of the most pressing issues and challenges facing their insolvency systems, while sharing experiences and learning from best practices across jurisdictions. The program opens with a presentation on the broader macroeconomic outlook for Europe, and an update from a representative of the European Commission on recent developments in insolvency harmonization across EU Member States and EU legislative initiatives. These presentations are followed by sessions delivered by IMF experts on selected insolvency topics. Themes vary every year, reflecting participants’ requests, emerging trends and legal reforms.  

This year’s workshop, held from 16 to 18 June, focused on the new EU Insolvency Directive (Directive (EU) 2026/799). In particular, participants examined the Directive’s new provisions on pre-packs and asset tracing. Discussions identified a number of possible critical areas in the transposition of these provisions into national legal frameworks, and participants exchanged views with their peers and the European Commission on their transposition plans and concerns. Other sessions covered the use of technology and AI in insolvency proceedings, ways to enhance creditor recoveries, and liability management exercises (LMEs) - a practice widely used in the United States that is increasingly being adopted in Europe and which raises important questions regarding the protection of creditor rights. This year’s edition also featured a dedicated session on personal insolvency, examining the growing adoption of personal insolvency regimes across jurisdictions and the risk of fraudulent behavior. 

The next edition of the workshop with new topics will take place in June 2027. Stay tuned for further information on the dates and program! 

Eugenia Siracusa, Counsel, IMF

Natalia Stetsenko, Senior Counsel, IMF