Search Legislation

Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 establishing a European Account Preservation Order procedure to facilitate cross-border debt recovery in civil and commercial matters

 Help about what version

What Version

 Help about advanced features

Advanced Features

 Help about opening options

Opening Options

 Help about UK-EU Regulation

Legislation originating from the EU

When the UK left the EU, legislation.gov.uk published EU legislation that had been published by the EU up to IP completion day (31 December 2020 11.00 p.m.). On legislation.gov.uk, these items of legislation are kept up-to-date with any amendments made by the UK since then.

Close

This item of legislation originated from the EU

Legislation.gov.uk publishes the UK version. EUR-Lex publishes the EU version. The EU Exit Web Archive holds a snapshot of EUR-Lex’s version from IP completion day (31 December 2020 11.00 p.m.).

Changes to legislation:

This version of this Regulation was derived from EUR-Lex on IP completion day (31 December 2020 11:00 p.m.). It has not been amended by the UK since then. Find out more about legislation originating from the EU as published on legislation.gov.uk. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

CHAPTER 3U.K. RECOGNITION, ENFORCEABILITY AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE PRESERVATION ORDER

Article 22U.K.Recognition and enforceability

A Preservation Order issued in a Member State in accordance with this Regulation shall be recognised in the other Member States without any special procedure being required and shall be enforceable in the other Member States without the need for a declaration of enforceability.

Article 23U.K.Enforcement of the Preservation Order

1.Subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the Preservation Order shall be enforced in accordance with the procedures applicable to the enforcement of equivalent national orders in the Member State of enforcement.

2.All authorities involved in the enforcement of the Order shall act without delay.

3.Where the Preservation Order was issued in a Member State other than the Member State of enforcement, part A of the Order as indicated in Article 19(2) and a blank standard form for the declaration pursuant to Article 25 shall, for the purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, be transmitted in accordance with Article 29 to the competent authority of the Member State of enforcement.

The transmission shall be done by the issuing court or the creditor, depending on who is responsible under the law of the Member State of origin for initiating the enforcement procedure.

4.The Order shall be accompanied, where necessary, by a translation or transliteration into the official language of the Member State of enforcement or, where there are several official languages in that Member State, the official language or one of the official languages of the place where the Order is to be implemented. Such translation or transliteration shall be provided by the issuing court by making use of the appropriate language version of the standard form referred to in Article 19.

5.The competent authority of the Member State of enforcement shall take the necessary steps to have the Order enforced in accordance with its national law.

6.Where the Preservation Order concerns more than one bank in the same Member State or in different Member States, a separate form for each bank as indicated in Article 19(4) shall be transmitted to the competent authority in the relevant Member State of enforcement.

Article 24U.K.Implementation of the Preservation Order

1.A bank to which a Preservation Order is addressed shall implement it without delay following receipt of the Order or, where the law of the Member State of enforcement so provides, of a corresponding instruction to implement the Order.

2.To implement the Preservation Order, the bank shall, subject to the provisions of Article 31, preserve the amount specified in the Order either:

(a)by ensuring that that amount is not transferred or withdrawn from the account or accounts indicated in the Order or identified pursuant to paragraph 4; or

(b)where national law so provides, by transferring that amount to an account dedicated for preservation purposes.

The final amount preserved may be subject to the settlement of transactions which are already pending at the moment when the Order or a corresponding instruction is received by the bank. However, such pending transactions may only be taken into account when they are settled before the bank issues the declaration pursuant to Article 25 by the time-limits set out in Article 25(1).

3.Notwithstanding point (a) of paragraph 2, the bank shall be authorised, at the request of the debtor, to release funds preserved and to transfer those funds to the account of the creditor indicated in the Order for the purposes of paying the creditor’s claim, if all the following conditions are met:

(a)such authorisation of the bank is specifically indicated in the Order in accordance with point (j) of Article 19(2);

(b)the law of the Member State of enforcement allows for such release and transfer; and

(c)there are no competing Orders with regard to the account concerned.

4.Where the Preservation Order does not specify the number or numbers of the account or accounts of the debtor but provides only the name and other details regarding the debtor, the bank or other entity responsible for enforcing the Order shall identify the account or accounts held by the debtor with the bank indicated in the Order.

If, on the basis of the information provided in the Order, it is not possible for the bank or other entity to identify with certainty an account of the debtor, the bank shall:

(a)where, in accordance with point (f) of Article 19(2), it is indicated in the Order that the number or numbers of the account or accounts to be preserved was or were obtained by means of a request pursuant to Article 14, obtain that number or those numbers from the information authority of the Member State of enforcement; and

(b)in all other cases, not implement the Order.

5.Any funds held in the account or accounts referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 which exceed the amount specified in the Preservation Order shall remain unaffected by the implementation of the Order.

6.Where, at the time of the implementation of the Preservation Order, the funds held in the account or accounts referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 are insufficient to preserve the full amount specified in the Order, the Order shall be implemented only in the amount available in the account or accounts.

7.Where the Preservation Order covers several accounts held by the debtor with the same bank and those accounts contain funds that exceed the amount specified in the Order, the Order shall be implemented in the following order of priority:

(a)savings accounts in the sole name of the debtor;

(b)current accounts in the sole name of the debtor;

(c)savings accounts in joint names, subject to Article 30;

(d)current accounts in joint names, subject to Article 30.

8.Where the currency of the funds held in the account or accounts referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 is not the same as that in which the Preservation Order was issued, the bank shall convert the amount specified in the Order into the currency of the funds by reference to the foreign exchange reference rate of the European Central Bank or the exchange rate of the central bank of the Member State of enforcement for sale of that currency on the day and at the time of the implementation of the Order, and shall preserve the corresponding amount in the currency of the funds.

Article 25U.K.Declaration concerning the preservation of funds

1.By the end of the third working day following the implementation of the Preservation Order, the bank or other entity responsible for enforcing the Order in the Member State of enforcement shall issue a declaration using the declaration form established by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 52(2), indicating whether and to what extent funds in the debtor’s account or accounts have been preserved and, if so, on which date the Order was implemented. If, in exceptional circumstances, it is not possible for the bank or other entity to issue the declaration within three working days, it shall issue it as soon as possible but by no later than the end of the eighth working day following the implementation of the Order.

The declaration shall be transmitted, without delay, in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3.

2.Where the Order was issued in the Member State of enforcement, the bank or other entity responsible for enforcing the Order shall transmit the declaration in accordance with Article 29 to the issuing court and by registered post attested by an acknowledgment of receipt, or by equivalent electronic means, to the creditor.

3.Where the Order was issued in a Member State other than the Member State of enforcement, the declaration shall be transmitted in accordance with Article 29 to the competent authority of the Member State of enforcement, unless it was issued by that same authority.

By the end of the first working day following the receipt or issue of the declaration, that authority shall transmit the declaration in accordance with Article 29 to the issuing court and by registered post attested by an acknowledgment of receipt, or by equivalent electronic means, to the creditor.

4.The bank or other entity responsible for enforcing the Preservation Order shall, upon request by the debtor, disclose to the debtor the details of the Order. The bank or entity may also do so in the absence of such a request.

Article 26U.K.Liability of the bank

Any liability of the bank for failure to comply with its obligations under this Regulation shall be governed by the law of the Member State of enforcement.

Article 27U.K.Duty of the creditor to request the release of over-preserved amounts

1.The creditor shall be under a duty to take the necessary steps to ensure the release of any amount which, following the implementation of the Preservation Order, exceeds the amount specified in the Preservation Order:

(a)where the Order covers several accounts in the same Member State or in different Member States; or

(b)where the Order was issued after the implementation of one or more equivalent national orders against the same debtor and aimed at securing the same claim.

2.By the end of the third working day following receipt of any declaration pursuant to Article 25 showing such over-preservation, the creditor shall, by the swiftest possible means and using the form for requesting the release of over-preserved amounts, established by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 52(2), submit a request for the release to the competent authority of the Member State of enforcement in which the over-preservation has occurred.

That authority shall, upon receipt of the request, promptly instruct the bank concerned to effect the release of the over-preserved amounts. Article 24(7) shall apply, as appropriate, in the reverse order of priority.

3.This Article shall not preclude a Member State from providing in its national law that the release of over-preserved funds from any account maintained in its territory is to be initiated by the competent enforcement authority of that Member State of its own motion.

Article 28U.K.Service on the debtor

1.The Preservation Order, the other documents referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article and the declaration pursuant to Article 25 shall be served on the debtor in accordance with this Article.

2.Where the debtor is domiciled in the Member State of origin, service shall be effected in accordance with the law of that Member State. Service shall be initiated by the issuing court or the creditor, depending on who is responsible for initiating service in the Member State of origin, by the end of the third working day following the day of receipt of the declaration pursuant to Article 25 showing that amounts have been preserved.

3.Where the debtor is domiciled in a Member State other than the Member State of origin, the issuing court or the creditor, depending on who is responsible for initiating service in the Member State of origin, shall, by the end of the third working day following the day of receipt of the declaration pursuant to Article 25 showing that amounts have been preserved, transmit the documents referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article in accordance with Article 29 to the competent authority of the Member State in which the debtor is domiciled. That authority shall, without delay, take the necessary steps to have service effected on the debtor in accordance with the law of the Member State in which the debtor is domiciled.

Where the Member State in which the debtor is domiciled is the only Member State of enforcement, the documents referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article shall be transmitted to the competent authority of that Member State at the time of transmission of the Order in accordance with Article 23(3). In such a case, that competent authority shall initiate the service of all documents referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article by the end of the third working day following the day of receipt or issue of the declaration pursuant to Article 25 showing that amounts have been preserved.

The competent authority shall inform the issuing court or the creditor, depending on who transmitted the documents to be served, of the result of the service on the debtor.

4.Where the debtor is domiciled in a third State, service shall be effected in accordance with the rules on international service applicable in the Member State of origin.

5.The following documents shall be served on the debtor and shall, where necessary, be accompanied by a translation or transliteration as provided for in Article 49(1):

(a)the Preservation Order using parts A and B of the form referred to in Article 19(2) and (3);

(b)the application for the Preservation Order submitted by the creditor to the court;

(c)copies of all documents submitted by the creditor to the court in order to obtain the Order.

6.Where the Preservation Order concerns more than one bank, only the first declaration pursuant to Article 25 showing that amounts have been preserved shall be served on the debtor in accordance with this Article. Any subsequent declarations pursuant to Article 25 shall be brought to the notice of the debtor without delay.

Article 29U.K.Transmission of documents

1.Where this Regulation provides for transmission of documents in accordance with this Article, such transmission may be carried out by any appropriate means, provided that the content of the document received is true and faithful to that of the document transmitted and that all information contained in it is easily legible.

2.The court or authority that received documents in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article shall, by the end of the working day following the day of receipt, send to the authority, creditor or bank that transmitted the documents an acknowledgment of receipt, employing the swiftest possible means of transmission and using the standard form established by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 52(2).

Article 30U.K.Preservation of joint and nominee accounts

Funds held in accounts which, according to the bank’s records, are not exclusively held by the debtor or are held by a third party on behalf of the debtor or by the debtor on behalf of a third party, may be preserved under this Regulation only to the extent to which they may be subject to preservation under the law of the Member State of enforcement.

Article 31U.K.Amounts exempt from preservation

1.Amounts that are exempt from seizure under the law of the Member State of enforcement shall be exempt from preservation under this Regulation.

2.Where, under the law of the Member State of enforcement, the amounts referred to in paragraph 1 are exempted from seizure without any request from the debtor, the body responsible for exempting such amounts in that Member State shall, of its own motion, exempt the relevant amounts from preservation.

3.Where, under the law of the Member State of enforcement, the amounts referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article are exempted from seizure at the request of the debtor, such amounts shall be exempted from preservation upon application by the debtor as provided for by point (a) of Article 34(1).

Article 32U.K.Ranking of the Preservation Order

The Preservation Order shall have the same rank, if any, as an equivalent national order in the Member State of enforcement.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As adopted by EU): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was first adopted in the EU. No changes have been applied to the text.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as adopted version that was used for the EU Official Journal
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different versions taken from EUR-Lex before exit day and during the implementation period as well as any subsequent versions created after the implementation period as a result of changes made by UK legislation.

The dates for the EU versions are taken from the document dates on EUR-Lex and may not always coincide with when the changes came into force for the document.

For any versions created after the implementation period as a result of changes made by UK legislation the date will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. For further information see our guide to revised legislation on Understanding Legislation.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as adopted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources