PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY: A GLOBAL TREND AND CROATIAN PERSPECTIVE

Osobni stečaj egzistira, u različitim oblicima, skoro tri stoljeća. Ratio je omogućavanje fizičkim osobama određene vrste osiguranja protiv insolventnosti te neočekivanih troškova. Predmetna filozofija uključuje legislativno uređenje otpusta dugova, pri čemu se osobama dopušta da zadrže određenu imovinu i osiguraju nužne životne potrebe te onemogućuje bilo kakva diskriminacija poslije otpusta dugova. Iako predmetni institut nije legaliziran u Hrvatskoj, predmet je mnogih razmatranja i rasprava budući da se postupak otpusta dugova fizičkih osoba manifestira različitim modelima. Tako američko osobno stečajno zakonodavstvo se smatra najdarežljivijim na svijetu, dok s druge strane većina europskih zakonodavstava do nedavno nije ni imala inkorporirane nikakve odredbe o otpustu dugova za fizičke osobe. Stoga je cilj rada razmotriti modele osobnog stečaja. Autor počinje s kratkim povijesnim osvrtom, nakon čega slijedi prikaz komparativnih modela te zapaženih slabosti i prednosti. Rad završava zaključkom, odnosno kratkim preporukama koje bi se trebale razmotriti prilikom reforme pasivne stečajne sposobnosti.Personal bankruptcy has existed in diverse forms almost for three centuries. The ratio of this institute is to procure a certain type of insurance for physical persons against insolvency and unexpected expenses. Therefore, the philosophy behind it calls for legislative regulation of release of debts which would allow individuals to retain a certain property and procure necessary life needs as well as prevent any kind of discrimination after the release of debts. Even though the personal bankruptcy is not regulated in Croatia, it has been an object of numerous analysis and discussions due to the fact that personal bankruptcy proceedings manifest through application of diverse methods. Having this in mind, the American personal bankruptcy legislation is considered to be the most generous in the world. On the other hand, until recently, the most European legal systems did not have any incorporated provisions on release of debts for physical persons. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyse models of personal bankruptcy. The author presents a short historical overview and talks about existing comparative models stressing their weaknesses and advantages in following chapters. The last part of the article contains conclusive remarks with regard to short recommendations which should be taken into consideration during the reform of passive bankruptcy ability