The mandatory provisions of the new Code of Companies and Associations (CCA) will apply to existing companies as from 1 January 2020. As from that date, companies will have to use the new corporate forms and abbreviations. 

Pursuant to the transitional rules introduced by the Act of 23 March 2019, companies established prior to 1 May 2019 will be subject to the mandatory provisions of the new Code of Companies and Associations (CCA) as from 1 January 2020, although they can maintain their articles of association until the end of the transition period. By 1 January 2024, however, they must have amended their articles of association to align them to the CCA. Companies that amend their articles before this date must ensure compliance with the CCA at that time. 

In the meantime, the mandatory provisions of the CCA will apply, and any provision in a company's articles of association which is contrary to these mandatory provisions will be deemed null and void and no longer applicable. 

The provisions of the CCA on corporate forms and their abbreviations are of mandatory application. Article 1:5 CCA changes the names of the following corporate forms: