Proposal for a Council Decision amending Annexes II and III of Council Decision of 9 June 2011 on the approval, on behalf of the European Union, of The Hague Convention of 23 November 2007, on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance

The objective of the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance Convention is to ensure the effective international recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance. Since the vast majority of maintenance claims involve children, the Convention is first and foremost a measure to protect children. On 31 March 2011, the Council adopted the decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the 2007 Hague Maintenance Convention. The Convention was signed by the European Union on 6 April 2011.

On 9 June 2011, the Council adopted a decision on the approval, on behalf of the European Union, of the 2007 Hague Maintenance Convention. The deposit of the instrument of approval was foreseen after the deadline of 10 December 2012 established by Article 7 of the Council Decision for the notification to the Commission by the Member States of the contact details of the Central Authorities designated under the Convention and the information concerning laws, procedures and services referred to in Article 57 of the Convention.

Articles 5 and 6 of the Council Decision provide also for the Union to make a reservation under Article 44(3) and reservations under point (g) of Article 11(1) and Article 44(1) and (2). During negotiations, the deadline of 16 May 2011 was set in order to allow Member States to provide information for the declaration and reservations to be made by the Union at the time of the deposit of the instrument of approval.

However, after the adoption of the Council Decision on 9 June 2011, some Member States have felt the necessity to amend their previous statement (Latvia) or to make ex novo the declaration and reservations under Article 5 and 6 of the Council Decision (Cyprus, Luxembourg and Portugal). Before depositing the instrument of approval, Annexes II and III therefore need to be amended accordingly.

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)35: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:035:FIN

---