On 22 October 2015, the Chamber of Notaries of the Grand Duchy held an international scientific symposium at Cercle Cité devoted to current topics within European civil law.
The event was attended by the European Commission, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union, academics, judges and notary experts. The conference was opened by Renate Nikolay, Chief of Staff of European Commissioner Vĕra Jourová, who outlined the new European regulation on international successions as well as the two European regulation proposals on matrimony and registered partnerships. The European Commission representative also spoke of the European regulation concerning the circulation of public documents.
This speech was followed by a lively debate concerning the European legislative proposal to establish the 'Societas Unius Personae' (SUP), a new form of European single-member private limited liability company, the creation of which would be without the help of a legal expert and would only have a symbolic minimum capital.
Experts present highlighted certain concerns surrounding the initiative, particularly insufficient protection of third parties, the risk of tax evasion and money laundering, and 'social dumping' purposes for which the SUP could be used. The notarial practitioners subsequently discussed the implementation of the European Certificate of Succession as introduced by international succession regulation.
In the afternoon, the conference was dedicated in part to a thorough analysis of proposals for European matrimonial and registered partnerships regulation. The European Notarial representatives expressed hope that, despite the existence of a political deadlock, both texts would be soon updated as a means of significantly facilitating the lives of European couples and complementing the new international successions regulation.
The conference was concluded with a discussion on the proposed regulation on the movement of public documents. MEP Mady Delvaux-Stehres outlined the situational analysis of the dossier before a round table took place which was attended by the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council, the European Commission and notary experts.
Photo by Chamber of Notaries (Top L-R: Mr Jean-François Sagaut, Notary in Paris; Mr. Stephan Mathyk, European Commission; Mrs Mady Delvaux-Stehres, MEP; Mr. Frank Molitor, notary in Luxembourg and President of the Grand Duchy of Notaries Chamber of Luxembourg; Madame Jeannine Dennewald Ministry of Justice of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Master Paolo Pasqualis, Notary in Portogruaro. Bottom: Mady Delvaux-Stehres, MEP)
