The European Commission today will unveil guidelines aimed at ending the bickering by couples over their choice of country in which to file for divorce.
It is understood that the new regulations will apply initially only to 10 of the EU’s 27 member countries, and will not include the UK, one of the favoured venues for wives in divorce cases due to its history of generous alimony awards.
In a statement issued today, Viviane Reding, who in February took office as the EU's first-ever commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, said: "International couples can encounter arbitrary legal problems that turn the tragedy of divorce into a financial and emotional disaster, making peoples' lives very hard.
"Thousands of couples find themselves in difficult personal situations because national legal systems have so far failed to provide clear answers. In many cases, children and the weaker spouse suffer. I do not want people in the EU to be left to manage complicated international divorces alone. I want them to have clear rules so that they always know where they stand. This is why we decided to move ahead today."
Reding is quoted in today’s Financial Times as saying that she expected other countries to sign up to the new regulations once the new regime was in place. She also stressed that the new rules were not an attempt to harmonise family law across the EU, the paper noted.
“We are not changing the divorce laws in countries – they stay the same,” the FT quoted Reding as saying.
France, Italy and Spain are among the 10 countries that have agreed to abide by the new rules.
In a statement issued today, Viviane Reding, who in February took office as the EU's first-ever commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, said: "International couples can encounter arbitrary legal problems that turn the tragedy of divorce into a financial and emotional disaster, making peoples' lives very hard.
"Thousands of couples find themselves in difficult personal situations because national legal systems have so far failed to provide clear answers. In many cases, children and the weaker spouse suffer. I do not want people in the EU to be left to manage complicated international divorces alone. I want them to have clear rules so that they always know where they stand. This is why we decided to move ahead today."
Reding is quoted in today’s Financial Times as saying that she expected other countries to sign up to the new regulations once the new regime was in place. She also stressed that the new rules were not an attempt to harmonise family law across the EU, the paper noted.
“We are not changing the divorce laws in countries – they stay the same,” the FT quoted Reding as saying.
France, Italy and Spain are among the 10 countries that have agreed to abide by the new rules.
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