Italy

We are looking forward to attending the 26th General Assembly of Connexx in Amsterdam, hosted and organised by our Netherlands member, Bas de Veer of Groot & Evers.

On 23 April 2026, members will meet with valued clients of Groot & Evers to discuss how our European network can support amicable collection and enforcement across member countries. Attending members will also provide a brief overview of how their respective jurisdictions can assist with cross-border collection and enforcement.

The 26th General Assembly will take place on 24 April 2026.

We are looking forward to attending the 26th General Assembly of Connexx in Amsterdam, hosted and organised by our Netherlands member, Bas de Veer of Groot & Evers.

On 23 April, members will meet with valued clients of Groot & Evers to discuss how our European network can support amicable collection and enforcement across member countries. Attending members will also provide a brief overview of how their respective jurisdictions can assist with cross-border collection and enforcement.

The 26th General Assembly will take place on 24 April.

The 25th General Assembly of Connexx has taken place in Glasgow (Scotland) on the 19th and 20th September 2024, organized by David Walker (Walker Love).

The new partner Groot en Evers, represented by Bas De Veer, joined the network as a representative in the Netherlands and signed the Internal Regulations.

The decision was taken to transform the de facto association into a legal person, with its seat in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in accordance with Luxembourg law.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in debt collection management – 'Innovation and

Transformation' was explained by Fidel Mesghena, delegate of the German partner.

Bertrand Pierson of Leximpact (France) explained the Competences and limits of the

judicial officer's monopoly on the example of France and the structure of Leximpact.

We are ready for an exciting event as Connexx Partners gears up for their 24th General Assembly, set to take place in the stunning city of Trieste, Italy.

Our Calendars are marked Friday, April 19th, 2024, when partners from 20 countries across Europe will gather in Trieste for this eagerly anticipated network meeting. The General Assembly will be graciously hosted by our Italian Partner, Massimiliano Blasone, an esteemed attorney-at-law specialising in civil and commercial judgments and cross-border enforcement. Massimiliano leads his own esteemed law firm, Studio Legale Blasone.

During this gathering, we'll dive into discussions on recent and upcoming procedural changes in each country. Additionally, presentations will cover various topics, including an introduction to a potential new partner in Greece by Mr. Ilias Tsipos, a Judicial Officer, and insights into cross-border enforcement post-Brexit by Martin Leyshon from England and Wales, representing the High Court Enforcement Group.

Leading the assembly will be our esteemed president, Mr. Geoffrey Gallé, from Luxembourg. As a tradition, we convene twice a year, with our next rendezvous scheduled in the vibrant city of Glasgow, hosted by David Walker of Walker Love.

We are ready for engaging discussions, valuable insights, and networking opportunities against the backdrop of the enchanting city of Trieste, on how to better serve our clients for cross border debt collection and enforcement.

The UK committed to joining the 2019 Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters and signed up to it on 12th January 2024.

How will this help UK businesses?
The Hague Convention will help UK businesses who have dealings in other countries. It means that, should a dispute arise, any resulting judgment will be recognised and can be enforced in the courts of other countries that have joined the Convention.

Whilst many countries have domestic rules that allow judgments from other countries to be enforced, the rules in each may well differ, so the Convention’s international framework of rules gives greater certainty. It should also save time and money for enforcement.

Who has joined the Hague Convention?
There are currently 29 countries who are already part of the 2019 Hague Convention, including the 27 EU member states, the EU and Ukraine. Uruguay has signed and ratified the Convention, with it set to enter into force on 01 October 2024. 

In addition this year, it has had several signatories: Israel, Costa Rica, the Russian Federation and the United States.

With 91 members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), the main multilateral forum for private international law rules consisting of several conventions including the 2019 Hague Convention, Hague 2019 has a potentially global reach. 

When will it come into force?
Hague 2019 will come into force in the UK 12 months after ratification and will apply only to judgments given in proceedings commenced after that date.

Bulgaria’s Abandoned Investments – by Todor Lukov a former Judge now making a living as a Judicial Officer

As Bulgaria joined the EU with great excitement, a wave of overenthusiastic entrepreneurs embarked on ambitious projects, from extravagant hotels to bizarre thermal wellness centers. But alas, these dreams crumbled like a botched game of Jenga in the wake of the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis.

Fast forward to today, and these colossal, half-finished structures are the stuff of comedic legends, resembling archaeological wonders plucked straight from an Indiana Jones film. Among them, an enigmatic spa hotel perched at Mineral Water Springs, takes center stage. Enter not Captain Kirk, but Bailiff Lukov, the intrepid private judicial officer, armed with determination and a magnifying glass.

Lukov's mission is clear: locate, salvage, and auction these forgotten relics. His first obstacle? The architectural and technical blueprints, seemingly swallowed by a bureaucratic black hole. With the tenacity of a detective, Lukov embarks on an odyssey, turning every dusty corner of the city planning department upside down.

As the narrative unfolds, Lukov's escapades become more zany. Picture Lukov, magnifying glass in hand, sifting through ancient scrolls (well, maybe dusty paperwork), and attempting to decipher ancient engineering runes (or just outdated schematics). Each clue brings him closer to unraveling the hotel's secrets, all while dodging booby traps like loose floorboards and cobweb-covered filing cabinets.

But wait, the tale takes a comedic twist. Just as Lukov is about to throw in the towel, a quirky entrepreneur with an uncanny affinity for absurd investments appears. Armed with a penchant for the peculiar and a knack for sniffing out bargain prices, this investor sets their sights on the spa
hotel. Cue a bidding war that's more slapstick than serious, with characters stumbling over blueprints and chasing down elusive property deeds.

In the end, the spa hotel may find an unlikely savior – an eccentric investor who sees potential in its faded grandeur perhaps. With a flourish of pen strokes and a hearty laugh, the deal is yet to be struck, a fire sale maybe? Will the hotel be brought back from the brink of oblivion? As the credits roll on this uproarious tale, Lukov's office stands as a monument to perseverance and resilience, a place where even the most bizarre of challenges can be met with a steady legal expertise but healthy dose of humor as well.

To Be Continued ...

We recently held our 22nd General Assembly in the picturesque city of Prague.

During the event, the network proudly announced the addition of a new member, David Elsibedashvili's Private Enforcement Bureau and House of Business Law LLC, which is based in Georgia.

The signing of the Connexx internal regulations was also marked by the warm welcome extended to David by the President of Connexx, Geoffrey Gallé.

The Assembly was also attended by Dr. Cari Leyshon of CQIFY, supported by Dr. Jacquiline Hiddlestone, who joined the event virtually from Australia. Dr. Cari started the process of a members service charter that received input through the collaboration of the members, which is a testament to the network's commitment to its members.

The Assembly had a turnout of 17 member countries out of a total of 20, with attendees joining both in-person and online.

To learn more about how Connexx can assist with the collection of your European debts, please scroll through our website.

New partner to be announced shortly!

PRESENTATION OF LAW FIRM BLASONE

Law Firm Blasone boasts a tradition rooted in providing procedural assistance and legal advice to its clients, operating both in the national and international context.

The lawyers of the Firm – under the supervision of the owners Massimiliano and Stefano Blasone – offer their qualified service in out-of-court proceedings and before ADR Bodies as well as in litigation and arbitration procedures. Clients, both companies and natural persons, are assisted and defended with the utmost availability, professionalism and confidentiality in disputes relating to civil, commercial, family, inheritance law as well as in litigations for compensation for damages.

The experience gained in the management of enforcement proceedings also allows the organization to perform credit recovery activities, including massive ones, throughout the Italian territory and abroad, after an investigating the solvency of each debtor. The Firm also takes care of the recognition and enforcement of Italian judgements abroad and foreign ones in Italy.

Any judicial activity is carried out directly by the Firm via electronic communication with all Italian Courts.

Abroad, the Firm collaborates with partners from its international network CONNEXX in order to enable the timely completion of any actions in the relevant State.

The member Massimiliano Blasone is an attorney at law with a long-standing experience in litigation and enforcement of civil judgement and is authorized to appear before the Supreme Court. He is also authorized to practice as Professional Delegate to the sales and Judicial Guardian in real estate foreclosures, i.e., enforcement agent, for the Court of Trieste.

Since 2018, he is co-founder and board member of Trieste association “aggiudic@” dedicated to the study of civil enforcement and bankruptcy. He is also a member of the Commission on this matter with the Bar Association of Trieste. In 2020, he co-founded and became Vice President of "A.C.D.C. - Association for the Coordination of Delegates and Custodians'', which brings together 41 Italian regional associations of delegated professionals authorized to carry out sale of foreclosed real estate, including drafting transfer decree and distribution of sales proceeds. In 2022 he was hired as an international expert consultant at the Council of Europe European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) developing Guidelines on judicial e-auctions. In 2023 he was engaged as consultant of Italian Ministry of Justice in the EU project finalised to the creation of the European platform dedicated to online auctions of foreclosed assets.

The member Stefano Blasone is an attorney at law who works in the field of civil law by providing his assistance in international divorces, family law and inheritance law. He also manages NPL (non-performing loans) analysing portfolios and identifying the best collection strategies for effective legal recovery actions.

He carries out mediation and conciliation proceedings (ADR) and defends clients in criminal law litigations, with particular reference to crimes against property and companies.

DEBT RECOVERY AND ENFORCEMENT OF FOREIGN JUDGMENTS IN ITALY

For the purpose of effective and timely credit recovery, we follow a consolidated procedure aimed at favouring, if possible, the voluntary payment of the debt:

• friendly credit recovery (with or without enforceable title)

We will send a formal notice to the debtor, where possible by certified e-mail, to request payment.

In the event of unavailability of a full voluntary payment, we will seek other payment options, e.g., a repayment plan in instalments. Any full and final settlement will be agreed upon with the client.

ADR procedures may also be activated to try to reach an agreement that best meets the expectations of our client.

• solvency report

Upon authorization by the client, at the same time or following the sending of the formal advice, an investigation may be launched to ascertain the consistency of the debtor's assets and his/her solvency.

• acquisition of an enforceable title

In the event of failure of the amical debt recovery activity, a judicial procedure will be initiated aimed for acquiring an enforceable title, or we will use the foreign judgement of the client, recognized and enforceable in Italy.

• enforcement proceedings

In the event of non-payment, we will carry out an enforcement proceeding.

Enforcement of an obligation to pay a sum of money in Italy is a judicial proceeding and it is obtained through foreclosure and liquidation of assets of the debtor, including:

• movable assets;

• real estate;

• receivables and bank account;

In case of request of the creditors and as alternative to the sale through auctions, assets can be assigned to the creditors in satisfaction of their claims.

Point of contact: Massimiliano Blasone
Website: www.studiolegaleblasone.it
Email:
Phone number: 0039/040631168
Andress: via San Francesco 14, 34133, Trieste

David Elsibedashvili's Private Enforcement Bureau and House of Business Law LLC

+995577111021

Our team of legal specialists will provide you with qualified assistance throughout the territory of Georgia. Members of our team have many years of experience in various areas of legal services. We consider each application of our clients individually and based on our qualifications achieve the best results in processing and solving problems of different complexity.

We offer the following services:

1. Collection - the process of the soft and hard collection is based on strict compliance with the code of ethics. The goal of our team is to achieve results only with ethical work methods.

2. Legal support - service includes full service in litigation (court, arbitration, mediation, etc.), defending clients' interests in the case of both the plaintiff and the defendant.

3. Enforcement services - Georgia has a hybrid system of enforcement. Private Enforcement and National Enforcement Bureau. Our team can provide clients with legal services in the private enforcement sphere. In the case of public enforcement, we can give advice and recommendations to clients, or act as the representatives of clients.

4. We can also provide clients with the following additional services:
a. Preparing agreements and legal documents
b. Real estate registration
c. Business entity registration
d. Legal examination of the subject of purchase
e. Assessment of legal risks of the contractual relationship