Kiri

Dear Nere Niskanen

I am forwarding Your urgent questions regarding enforcement procedures and potential forum shopping matters between Finland and Estonia regarding natural persons bankruptcy proceedings (including release of debts under Estonian legislation) to my other Estonian colleagues Mr Aleksandr Logussov and Ms Ilona Põld at the Ministry of Justice of Estonia and to Mr Jaan Lõõnik at Chamber of Bailiffs and Bankruptcy Trustees. They can help You with Your questions.

Should You need an urgent Teams/Skype call to discuss the matters in more detail, please do let us know.

Annex A = „pankrotimenetlus“, not „täitemenetlus“

It is academically debateble whether „kohustustest vabastamise menetlus“ (release of debts) as sub-procedure in „pankrotimenetlus“ for natural persons is to be considered as part of Annex A of EU Regulation for Estonia. I hope my colleagues in the Ministry of Justice know the exact answer to that now.

Yours sincerely

Signe Viimsalu

Head of Insolvency Service    

Dear Signe Viimsalu,

we have received your information from Senior Bankruptcy Lawyer Jouni Pakarinen from The Office of Bankruptcy Ombudsman.

According to Mr. Pakarinen, you could possibly assist us in the application of the Estonian Bankruptcy Law and answer a few questions that have occurred in our enforcement procedures.

·  According to Article 20(1) of the Regulation (EU) on insolvency proceedings (2015/848), the judgment opening insolvency proceedings shall, with no further formalities, produce the same effects in any other Member State as under the law of the State of the opening of proceedings. The Insolvency Regulation is applicable, according to Article 1(1), to the proceedings listed in Annex A.

Does this mean that the effects under the Insolvency Regulation apply only to bankruptcy proceedings (pankrotimenetlus)? Accordingly, is the applicable law from which the effects arise Estonia’s Bankruptcy Act (pankroatiseadus)?

·  Or does the EU Insolvency Regulation also make the legal effects of other laws of the initiating country (e.g., täitemenetluse seadistik) binding on other Member States?

·  Does the Estonian Bankruptcy Act provide a prohibition on enforcement during bankruptcy or during the subsequent release procedure for an individual?

·  Are there other restrictions under the Estonian Bankruptcy Act on the enforcement of judgments in other countries, aside from those specified in § 174 of the Bankruptcy Act (pankroatiseadus) when a release procedure following bankruptcy is ongoing?

·  The debtor entered into a release procedure after his bankruptcy on July 20, 2021. When does the release procedure end? What are the options for ending the release procedure?

·  How long do the effects of § 174 of the Bankruptcy Act remain in force in a situation where the deadline of the release procedure has ended but the debtor has not applied for the release or, if the debtor applies for the release when the release period has already ended?

Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Nere Niskanen

kihlakunnanvouti/ häradsfogde/ District bailiff

Special Enforcement Unit

Ulosottolaitos / Utsökningsverket/ National Enforcement Authority Finland

Postiosoite / Postadress: PL 1, 00067 Ulosottolaitos / PB 1, 00067 Utsökningsverket

Käyntiosoite: Sairashuoneenkatu 2-4, 20100 Turku

Besökadress: Lasarettsgatan 2-4, 20100 Åbo

Puh / Tel: 029 56 58540

[email protected]

Ulosottolaitoksen asiakaspalvelu / Utsökningsverkets kundservice puh / tel: 029 565 8800

Virastoposti / Tjänstepost: [email protected]

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