Belgium moves to facilitate preventive cross-border seizures

Belgium moves to facilitate preventive cross-border seizures

Belgian creditors could soon find it easier to carry out preventive seizures on accounts held in foreign banks, Justice Minister Koen Geens said on Wednesday. Creditors wishing to know where their debtors have accounts often randomly contact banks in Belgium. The practical difficulties are even tougher when the debtors have accounts in other European Union (EU) member countries.

The National Chamber of Bailiffs, CHNJ, will soon be designated as the body in charge of collecting information from local banks and transmitting it to the jurisdiction of another member state that requests it within the framework of EU procedures. To this end, a central register for preventive European bank account seizures will be created within the CNHJ.

In Belgian procedures, the creditors will be able to request enforcement judges to obtain such information from the CNHJ in the same conditions.

"The creditor shall obtain all information to act quickly without any cumbersome procedures,” the minister said. “We are simplifying the lives of the creditors to carry out preventive seizures on bank accounts held in other member States in civil and commercial disputes. In that way, we avoid debtors’ becoming insolvent and ensure that creditors do not suffer any financial losses.”

The Brussels Times


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