Corporation law -- Commercial law

It is commonplace to speak of ?Europe? as a major player in the global marketplace. In reality, persistent conflicts among the company and security law regimes of the various Member State continue to hamper the full emergence of the EU as an economic power on a par with the US and China. Progress is under way, as this book amply testifies. In the wake of the Financial Services Action Plan (1999) and the Company Law and Corporate Governance Action Plan (2003), a series of EU regulations and ECJ cases has significantly eroded the national barriers to cross-border legal entities within the Union. Most demonstrate why they think further regulatory harmonization is essential, although some warn of potential dangers and pitfalls along the way. All in all, this book is a powerfully thought-provoking contribution to important debate. Among the issues that arise are : shareholders? rights; cross-border voting; corporate governance; disclosure; corporate restructuring; conflicts of interest; equity capital provision; and shareholders versus stakeholders. As penetrating evaluation of the EU?s capability to improve its corporate regulatory infrastructure and thereby attract more investors and business activities within its territory as a whole, this book offers securely grounded and valuable insights to all those interested in the field, from economic policymakers at every level of government to business persons and their counsel.