Twenty Years European Company Law

Book excerpt: Soon after the journal European Company Law was launched in 2004, it jumped to prominence as a leading resource not only for European companies and their lawyers but also for enterprises worldwide with business interests in Europe, a role it has held to the present day. This book, appearing 20 years after the first issue of the journal, celebrates this anniversary with contributions from eminent legal experts in the areas of company law, securities law, and corporate governance. Topics range over both the traditional areas of policy and practice and emerging contemporary issues in the field. The contributions – all of them characterized by the concise and practice-oriented approach for which the journal itself is widely appreciated – cover such European company law issues as the following: sustainability; environment, social, and governance matters; loyalty shares; the proposed Listing Act; cross-border mergers; shareholders’ rights and activism; company groups; and digitization. The book also contains an interview with journal founders Steef Bartman and Cees de Groot on the inception and development of the journal and its ongoing relation to European company law in a broader sense. More than a testament to the front-and-centre presence of European Company Law in the development of European company law and corporate governance over the past 20 years, this book carries on the journal’s aim to inform practitioners and be of interest to academics and students in the field. It is a must-have for those who work in the field of European company law either in corporate practice as legal professionals and advisors or as academics.