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EUFams II Project – International Exchange Seminar

Thursday, 24 October – Friday, 25 October 2019

The European Commission-funded EUFams II Project aims to develop a common European expertise and understanding of the EU instruments in family law. The Project focuses, notably, on identifying practical problems and on proposing improvements to secure a uniform, coherent and consistent application of such instruments. In addition to the Regulations on matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility, including child abduction ((EC) No 2001/2003 to be repealed by (EU) 2019/1111), maintenance obligations ((EC) No 4/2009), successions ((EU) No 650/2012), and the relevant Hague Conference instruments, the Project expands its scope to include the two Regulations implementing enhanced cooperation in matters of, respectively, matrimonial property regimes and the property consequences of registered partnerships ((EU) 2016/1103 and (EU) 2016/1104) as well as the Regulation adopted to simplify the requirements for cross-border use and acceptance of certain public documents in the European Union ((EU) 2016/1191). To ensure a comprehensive approach, the Project also tackles legal challenges arising from the current refugee crisis and offers an analysis of the potential impacts of Brexit on family law.

As part of this Project, the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg has organized an International Exchange Seminar to address the difficulties met at the national level, to identify common patterns, and to share good practices. Benefitting from the expertise of renowned academics from various institutions, judges, notaries, lawyers, and representatives of international organizations and family law associations, the International Exchange Seminar will address and explore possible solutions to controversial or problematic issues that were identified in the course of the National Exchange Seminars hosted by the Partner Universities (Universities of Heidelberg (coord.), Lund, Milan, Osijek, Valencia and Verona) in the framework of the Project.

Thursday, 24 October 2019. 20:00
Welcome dinner

Friday, 25 October 2019. 09:00 - 16:50
International Exchange Seminar

Venue: Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for Procedural Law, Conference room, 4th floor

Programme

09:00 - 09:15	Welcome remarks Professor Burkhard Hess (MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law) Professor Thomas Pfeiffer (Heidelberg University)
09:15 - 12:45	Matrimonial matters and parental responsibility (Brussels II-bis Regulation, Rome III Regulation, Brussels II-bis Recast, and relevant Hague Instruments)
09:15 - 10:45	Matrimonial matters Panel: Chaired by: Professor Burkhard Hess (MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law) Mr. Quincy C. Lobach (Heidelberg University) Short description of the problems Professor Dagmar Coester-Waltjen (University of Göttingen) Assessment of the Recast Discussion
10:45 - 11:00	Coffee break
11:00 - 12:30	Parental responsibility (including child abduction) Panel: Chaired by: Professor Alegría Borrás (University of Barcelona) Dr. Marlene Brosch (MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law) Short description of the problems Professor Cristina González Beilfuss (University of Barcelona) Assessment of the Recast Discussion
12:30 - 12:45	'Brexit' ahead: Impacts on European Family Law Discussion
12:45 - 13:30	Lunch break
13:30 - 16:30	Property regimes, succession and the interrelation with public documents
13:30 - 15:00	Matrimonial property regimes and property regimes for registered partnerships Panel: Chaired by: Professor Dimitrios Tsikrikas (University of Athens) Dr. Cristina M. Mariottini (MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law) Short description of the problems Professor Thalia Krueger (University of Antwerp) Assessment Discussion
15:00 - 15:15	Coffee break
15:15 - 16:30	Succession Regulation Panel: Chaired by: Professor Brigitta Lurger (University of Graz) Mr. Philippos Siaplaouras (MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law) Short description of the problems Mr. Richard Frimston (Russel Cooke Solicitors, London) Assessment Discussion
16:30 - 16:50	Concluding remarks Professor Thomas Pfeiffer (Heidelberg University)
16:50	Farewell coffee