Business law · Economic courts

The court that will hear
your company changed in 2025.

In Paris, Nanterre and Versailles, amicable and insolvency proceedings have fallen under the Economic Activities Court since 1 January 2025, including for entities that had never dealt with the commercial court.

Book a meeting See the competent court
The reform

Twelve courts, four years, a broader jurisdiction

Article 26 of the Act of 20 November 2023 opened an experiment: from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028, twelve commercial courts are renamed Economic Activities Courts. Three of them are in the Paris region: Paris, Nanterre and Versailles.

The change is not cosmetic. Until then, amicable and insolvency proceedings were split between two courts: the commercial court for traders and craftspeople, the judicial court for everyone else. In the twelve districts concerned, the Economic Activities Court now has sole jurisdiction, whatever the status or activity of the professional in difficulty.

The reform does not alter the applicable law: safeguard proceedings remain safeguard proceedings, and the deadlines and conditions are unchanged. What changes is which door to knock on, and getting the court wrong costs weeks a struggling company does not have.

Which court for your registered office

In the Paris region, only three courts hold the broader jurisdiction. Elsewhere, the split between commercial court and judicial court still applies.

Territory
Court
Jurisdiction over amicable and insolvency proceedings
District of the judicial court of Paris
Economic Activities Court of Paris
All professionals, whatever their status: traders, craftspeople, property companies, associations, liberal professions, farmers.
District of the judicial court of Nanterre
Economic Activities Court of Nanterre
All professionals, whatever their status, on the same terms as in Paris.
District of the judicial court of Versailles
Economic Activities Court of Versailles
All professionals, whatever their status, on the same terms as in Paris.
Outside the experiment
Commercial Court of Bobigny
Traders and craftspeople only. Property companies, associations and liberal professions fall under the judicial court.
Outside the experiment
Commercial Court of Créteil
Traders and craftspeople only. Other entities fall under the judicial court.
Outside the experiment
Commercial Court of Évry
Traders and craftspeople only. Other entities fall under the judicial court.

The territories are those set by the order of 5 July 2024: each Economic Activities Court covers the district of the judicial court sitting in the same city. Appeals lie to the Paris Court of Appeal for the Paris court, and to the Versailles Court of Appeal for Nanterre and Versailles. The firm appears before these six courts and before the Paris Court of Appeal.

What it changes in practice

Civil entities
A property company, an association or a liberal professional in difficulty in Paris, Nanterre or Versailles now files with the Economic Activities Court rather than the judicial court.
Legal professions
The regulated legal professions are the exception: their proceedings remain before the judicial court.
Ordinary litigation
Unpaid debts, shareholder disputes, terminated contracts: nothing changes. The commercial court keeps jurisdiction between traders, subject to the contract’s clauses.
What to do

The steps, in order

Identifying the court is the first step, not the decisive one. What matters is when you act.

01
Date the difficulty
Do due liabilities exceed available assets? If so, since when? That date governs everything else, including your personal liability.
02
Choose the route
Before insolvency: ad hoc mandate or conciliation, both confidential. After: the declaration must be filed within 45 days.
03
Identify the court
Based on the registered office and the entity’s status, the table above gives the answer for the Paris region.
04
Prepare the file
Accounts, cash flow, security interests and guarantees. A complete file from the first hearing means not being driven by the procedural timetable.
To anticipate

The economic justice contribution

The same reform created a financial contribution, payable by the claimant before the twelve Economic Activities Courts, subject to two cumulative conditions: claims above 50,000 euros and a claimant employing at least 250 people. Payment is a condition of admissibility.

Two reassuring points for most companies: entities with fewer than 250 employees are exempt, and applications to open amicable or insolvency proceedings fall outside the scheme. It is assessed under the civil procedure rules on costs and disbursements.

Frequently asked questions

Mon entreprise relève-t-elle du tribunal des activités économiques ou du tribunal de commerce ?
Cela dépend du siège de l'entreprise et de la nature de la procédure. En Île-de-France, seuls Paris, Nanterre et Versailles sont des tribunaux des activités économiques : à Bobigny, Créteil ou Évry, le tribunal de commerce reste compétent pour les commerçants et artisans, et le tribunal judiciaire pour les autres. Et l'expérimentation ne concerne que les procédures amiables et collectives, pas le contentieux commercial ordinaire.
Qu'est-ce qui change pour une SCI, une association ou un professionnel libéral ?
Dans les ressorts de Paris, Nanterre et Versailles, ces structures relevaient du tribunal judiciaire pour une sauvegarde, un redressement ou une liquidation. Depuis le 1er janvier 2025, elles relèvent du tribunal des activités économiques, quel que soit leur statut ou leur activité. Seules les professions réglementées du droit restent devant le tribunal judiciaire.
Le contentieux commercial ordinaire est-il concerné ?
Non. L'expérimentation ne porte que sur les procédures amiables et collectives. Pour un impayé, un litige entre associés ou une rupture de contrat, le tribunal de commerce reste en principe compétent entre commerçants, sous réserve d'une clause du contrat désignant une autre juridiction.
Devrai-je payer la contribution pour la justice économique ?
Elle n'est due que devant les douze tribunaux des activités économiques, et sous deux conditions cumulatives : des prétentions supérieures à 50 000 euros et un demandeur employant au moins 250 salariés. Les entreprises de moins de 250 salariés en sont exonérées, et les demandes d'ouverture d'une procédure amiable ou collective sont exclues du dispositif.
L'expérimentation peut-elle s'arrêter ?
Elle court du 1er janvier 2025 au 31 décembre 2028, puis fera l'objet d'une évaluation avant toute généralisation ou abandon. Les procédures ouvertes avant le 1er janvier 2025 devant un tribunal judiciaire n'ont pas été transférées.
Related
Companies in difficulty
Prevention, insolvency proceedings, defending the executive.
Business litigation
Unpaid debts, shareholder disputes, unfair competition.

Not sure which court to file with?

The answer depends on your registered office, your status and the procedure envisaged. A first meeting is enough to give it.

Book a meeting 06 61 76 36 12

This page is for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. The applicable rules depend on your specific situation.