| Author (Person) | Pignal, Stanley, Tait, Nikki |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Financial Times |
| Series Details | 24.3.10 |
| Publication Date | 24/03/2010 |
| Content Type | News |
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An Austrian woman marries a British man in the UK. The couple lives for two years in Austria with their son. The husband then leaves and the wife wants a divorce. However, she doesn't know which law will apply to her divorce. Can she get a divorce under Austrian law or does UK law apply? Thousands of Europeans find themselves in such difficult situations each year because each EU country has its own system for deciding which country’s law applies to divorces. The European Commission proposed on the 24 March 2010 a concrete solution: a law that will allow couples to choose which country's laws apply to their divorce. The proposed EU Regulation will help couples of different nationalities, couples living apart in different countries or living together in a country other than their home country. The aim is to lessen the burden on children and to protect weaker partners during divorce disputes. There are around 300,000 international marriages per year in the EU. The March 2010 proposal follows a request from 10 Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) and would be the first time the 'enhanced cooperation' mechanism would be used in EU history. |
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| Subject Categories | Geography, Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
