CHAPTER IIJURISDICTION

Article 4Jurisdiction in the event of the death of one of the spouses

Where a court of a Member State is seised in matters of the succession of a spouse pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 650/2012, the courts of that State shall have jurisdiction to rule on matters of the matrimonial property regime arising in connection with that succession case.

Article 5Jurisdiction in cases of divorce, legal separation or marriage annulment1.

Without prejudice to paragraph 2, where a court of a Member State is seised to rule on an application for divorce, legal separation or marriage annulment pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003, the courts of that State shall have jurisdiction to rule on matters of the matrimonial property regime arising in connection with that application.

Jurisdiction in matters of matrimonial property regimes under paragraph 1 shall be subject to the spouses' agreement where the court that is seised to rule on the application for divorce, legal separation or marriage annulment:

(a)

is the court of a Member State in which the applicant is habitually resident and the applicant had resided there for at least a year immediately before the application was made, in accordance with the fifth indent of Article 3(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003;

(b)

is the court of a Member State of which the applicant is a national and the applicant is habitually resident there and had resided there for at least six months immediately before the application was made, in accordance with sixth indent of Article 3(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003;

(c)

is seised pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 in cases of conversion of legal separation into divorce; or

(d)

is seised pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 in cases of residual jurisdiction.

If the agreement referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article is concluded before the court is seised to rule on matters of matrimonial property regimes, the agreement shall comply with Article 7(2).

Article 6Jurisdiction in other cases

Where no court of a Member State has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 4 or 5 or in cases other than those provided for in those Articles, jurisdiction to rule on a matter of the spouses' matrimonial property regime shall lie with the courts of the Member State:

(a)

in whose territory the spouses are habitually resident at the time the court is seised; or failing that

(b)

in whose territory the spouses were last habitually resident, insofar as one of them still resides there at the time the court is seised; or failing that

(c)

in whose territory the respondent is habitually resident at the time the court is seised; or failing that

(d)

of the spouses' common nationality at the time the court is seised.

Article 7Choice of court1.

In cases which are covered by Article 6, the parties may agree that the courts of the Member State whose law is applicable pursuant to Article 22, or point (a) or (b) of Article 26(1), or the courts of the Member State of the conclusion of the marriage shall have exclusive jurisdiction to rule on matters of their matrimonial property regime.

The agreement referred to in paragraph 1 shall be expressed in writing and dated and signed by the parties. Any communication by electronic means which provides a durable record of the agreement shall be deemed equivalent to writing.

Article 8Jurisdiction based on the appearance of the defendant1.

Apart from jurisdiction derived from other provisions of this Regulation, a court of a Member State whose law is applicable pursuant to Article 22 or point (a) or (b) of Article 26(1), and before which a defendant enters an appearance, shall have jurisdiction. This rule shall not apply where appearance was entered to contest the jurisdiction, or in cases covered by Article 4 or 5(1).

Before assuming jurisdiction pursuant to paragraph 1, the court shall ensure that the defendant is informed of his right to contest the jurisdiction and of the consequences of entering or not entering an appearance.

Article 9Alternative jurisdiction1.

By way of exception, if a court of the Member State that has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 4, 6, 7 or 8 holds that, under its private international law, the marriage in question is not recognised for the purposes of matrimonial property regime proceedings, it may decline jurisdiction. If the court decides to decline jurisdiction, it shall do so without undue delay.

Where a court having jurisdiction pursuant to Article 4 or 6 declines jurisdiction and where the parties agree to confer jurisdiction to the courts of any other Member State in accordance with Article 7, jurisdiction to rule on the matrimonial property regime shall lie with the courts of that Member State.

In other cases, jurisdiction to rule on the matrimonial property regime shall lie with the courts of any other Member State pursuant to Article 6 or 8, or the courts of the Member State of the conclusion of the marriage.

This Article shall not apply when the parties have obtained a divorce, legal separation or marriage annulment which is capable of being recognised in the Member State of the forum.

Article 10Subsidiary jurisdiction

Where no court of a Member State has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, or when all the courts pursuant to Article 9 have declined jurisdiction and no court has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 9(2), the courts of a Member State shall have jurisdiction in so far as immoveable property of one or both spouses are located in the territory of that Member State, but in that event the court seised shall have jurisdiction to rule only in respect of the immoveable property in question.

Article 11Forum necessitatis

Where no court of a Member State has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 10, or when all the courts pursuant to Article 9 have declined jurisdiction and no court of a Member State has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 9(2) or Article 10, the courts of a Member State may, on an exceptional basis, rule on a matrimonial property regime case if proceedings cannot reasonably be brought or conducted or would be impossible in a third state with which the case is closely connected.

The case must have a sufficient connection with the Member State of the court seised.

Article 12Counterclaims

The court in which proceedings are pending pursuant to Article 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (2), 10 or 11 shall also have jurisdiction to rule on a counterclaim if it falls within the scope of this Regulation.

Article 13Limitation of proceedings1.

Where the estate of the deceased whose succession falls under Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 comprises assets located in a third state, the court seised to rule on the matrimonial property regime may, at the request of one of the parties, decide not to rule on one or more of such assets if it may be expected that its decision in respect of those assets will not be recognised and, where applicable, declared enforceable in that third state.

Paragraph 1 shall not affect the right of the parties to limit the scope of the proceedings under the law of the Member State of the court seised.

Article 14Seising a court

For the purpose of this Chapter, a court shall be deemed to be seised:

(a)

at the time when the document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent document is lodged with the court, provided that the applicant has not subsequently failed to take the steps he was required to take to have service effected on the defendant;

(b)

if the document has to be served before being lodged with the court, at a time when it is received by the authority responsible for service, provided that the applicant has not subsequently failed to take the steps he was required to take to have the document lodged with the court; or

(c)

if the proceedings are opened on the court's own motion, at the time when the decision to open the proceedings is taken by the court, or, where such a decision is not required, at the time when the case is registered by the court.

Article 15Examination as to jurisdiction

Where a court of a Member State is seised of a matter of matrimonial property regime over which it has no jurisdiction under this Regulation, it shall declare of its own motion that it has no jurisdiction.

Article 16Examination as to admissibility1.

Where a defendant habitually resident in a State other than the Member State where the action was brought does not enter an appearance, the court having jurisdiction pursuant to this Regulation shall stay the proceedings so long as it is not shown that the defendant has been able to receive the document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent document in time to arrange for his defence, or that all necessary steps have been taken to this end.

Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council

Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2007 on the service in the Member States of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters (service of documents), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1348/2000 (OJ L 324, 10.12.2007, p. 79).

shall apply instead of paragraph 1 of this Article if the document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent document had to be transmitted from one Member State to another pursuant to that Regulation.

Where Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 is not applicable, Article 15 of the Hague Convention of 15 November 1965 on the service abroad of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters shall apply if the document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent document had to be transmitted abroad pursuant to that Convention.

Article 17Lis pendens1.

Where proceedings involving the same cause of action and between the same parties are brought before courts of different Member States, any court other than the court first seised shall of its own motion stay its proceedings until such time as the jurisdiction of the court first seised is established.

In the cases referred to in paragraph 1, upon request by a court seised of the dispute, any other court seised shall without delay inform the former court of the date when it was seised.

Where the jurisdiction of the court first seised is established, any court other than the court first seised shall decline jurisdiction in favour of that court.

Article 18Related actions1.

Where related actions are pending in the courts of different Member States, any court other than the court first seised may stay its proceedings.

Where the actions referred to in paragraph 1 are pending at first instance, any court other than the court first seised may also, on the application of one of the parties, decline jurisdiction if the court first seised has jurisdiction over the actions in question and its law permits the consolidation thereof.

For the purposes of this Article, actions are deemed to be related where they are so closely connected that it is expedient to hear and determine them together to avoid the risk of irreconcilable decisions resulting from separate proceedings.

Article 19Provisional, including protective, measures

Application may be made to the courts of a Member State for such provisional, including protective, measures as may be available under the law of that State, even if, under this Regulation, the courts of another Member State have jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter.