The European Commission (EC) is proposing the introduction of new EU-wide rules to clarify the legal position relating to property rights for married couples or registered partnerships from different countries.
The two proposed Regulations would help identify which country's laws should apply in determining a couple's property rights, and the responsible court. The Regulations also provide for rules for recognising and enforcing court judgments on a couple's property in all EU Member States through a single procedure.
"The death of a spouse or a divorce is a harrowing time for anyone. Citizens should not be burdened even more by complicated administrative or legal procedures that cost time and money," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner. "As more and more citizens fall in love and then marry or create partnerships across borders, we need clear rules to decide how joint property is divided in case of death or divorce. These proposals will help bring legal clarity and ease the complicated process of dividing up joint assets no matter where they are located in Europe. This is good news for international couples and good news for their bank accounts: the new rules can save around €400 million a year in extra costs."
