45. Considers, in respect of succession arrangements, that consideration should be given to introducing legislation that focuses more closely on keeping farms together, with a view to achieving both economies of scale and economies of scope; succession arrangements involving parties who are not family members should be facilitated in order to preserve farms and to enable young entrepreneurs with an education in farming to become farmers;

45. Considers, in respect of succession arrangements, that consideration should be given to introducing legislation that focuses more closely on keeping farms together, with a view to achieving both economies of scale and economies of scope; points out that succession arrangements involving parties who are not family members should be facilitated in order to preserve farms and to enable young entrepreneurs with an education in farming to become farmers;

providing for rules of private international law to ensure effective coordination between legal systems with regard to the administration, liquidation and transmission of estates, as well as identification of heirs, with provisions stating: that these aspects of succession, subject to exceptions due to the nature or location of certain assets, are to be regulated by the law applicable to the succession; that if that law provides for the intervention of an authority indicated by the law itself, or appointed pursuant to it, that authority's powers shall be recognised in all the Member States; that, if the law applicable to the succession ...[+++] is the law of a Member State, the powers of such authorities are to extend, unless otherwise specified by the testator, to the whole estate, wherever it may be situated, even if, according to the law applicable to the succession, those powers are confined to movable property; that the measures relating to the activity of those authorities prescribed by the law applicable to the succession may be requested from the courts of the Member State the law of which is applicable to the succession or on the territory of which the deceased person had his habitual residence at the time of his death, or on the territory of which the property comprised in the estate is located;

- providing for rules of private international law to ensure effective coordination between legal systems with regard to the administration, liquidation and transmission of estates, as well as identification of heirs, with provisions stating: that these aspects of succession, subject to exceptions due to the nature or location of certain assets, are to be regulated by the law applicable to the succession; that if that law provides for the intervention of an authority indicated by the law itself, or appointed pursuant to it, that authority’s powers shall be recognised in all the Member States; that, if the law applicable to the successi ...[+++]on is the law of a Member State, the powers of such authorities are to extend, unless otherwise specified by the testator, to the whole estate, wherever it may be situated, even if, according to the law applicable to the succession, those powers are confined to movable property; that the measures relating to the activity of those authorities prescribed by the law applicable to the succession may be requested from the courts of the Member State the law of which is applicable to the succession or on the territory of which the deceased person had his habitual residence at the time of his death, or on the territory of which the property comprised in the estate is located;

Honourable senators, if one looks at the historical evidence, one cannot escape the fact that marriage became a heterosexual extravaganza, blessed by all sort of deities, in order to assure the legitimacy of the children, the safe passage of the inheritance and the status of royals, feudal lords and families.

Improving the enterprise environment The Commission will revise and strengthen its internal working procedures for assessing the effects and impact of its legislative proposals on enterprises, with particular reference to SMEs. 2. Improving the conditions for the transfer of enterprises The Commission is to launch a process of broad consultation dealing with various questions, with the aim of offering businesses a more favourable legal and fiscal environment for their transfer, particularly: - by facilitating the continuity of a sole proprietorship or partnership in the case of the death of the head of the enterprise or one of the partners; - by facilitating, in particular, the change in status from sole proprietorship or partnership to c ...[+++]orporation with a view to the transfer of the business, on the basis of a joint examination of the most appropriate arrangements; - by facilitating the adoption by SMEs of the status of public limited company by reducing the administrative formalities and the cost of access to this status to an extent compatible with the protection of company members and third-party interests; - by reducing the fiscal burden on legatees who continue to operate the business.