In the European Union, new rules come into force that specify which court has jurisdiction over a couple in the event of divorce or death of a partner and under which national law is judged. Depending on the case, either depends on where the spouses live or where the marriage was concluded. Even people with different passports in a registered civil partnership are affected by the provisions.
Because not all EU member states were able to agree on the new rules, the new regulations initially only apply in 18 countries. These include Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Ireland, Denmark, Poland and other Eastern European countries do not participate. The states that have adopted the provisions make up 70 percent of the population. The remaining states can join at any time, as the European Commission announced.
According to the EU Commission, more than 16 million bi-national couples live in a marriage or registered partnership in the EU. The new rules should help to save costs for legal proceedings of about 350 million euros per year.