Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111Show full title

SECTION 3 U.K. Common provisions

Article 17 U.K. Seising of a court

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 or she was required to take to have service effected on the respondent;

(b)

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

(c)

if the proceedings are instituted of the court's own motion, at the time when the decision to institute 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 18 U.K. Examination as to jurisdiction

Where a court of a Member State is seised of a case over which it has no jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter under this Regulation and over which a court of another Member State has jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter under this Regulation, it shall declare of its own motion that it has no jurisdiction.

Article 19 U.K. Examination as to admissibility

1. Where a respondent habitually resident in a State other than the Member State where the proceedings were instituted does not enter an appearance, the court with jurisdiction shall stay the proceedings so long as it is not shown that the respondent has been able to receive the document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent document in sufficient time to enable him or her to arrange for his or her defence, or that all necessary steps have been taken to this end.

2. Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 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.

3. 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 20 U.K. Lis pendens and dependent actions

1. Where proceedings relating to divorce, legal separation or marriage annulment between the same parties are instituted before courts of different Member States, the court second seised shall of its own motion stay its proceedings until such time as the jurisdiction of the court first seised is established.

2. Except where the jurisdiction of one of the courts is based solely on Article 15, where proceedings relating to parental responsibility relating to the same child and involving the same cause of action are instituted before courts of different Member States, the court second seised shall of its own motion stay its proceedings until such time as the jurisdiction of the court first seised is established.

3. Where the jurisdiction of the court first seised is established, the court second seised shall decline jurisdiction in favour of the court first seised.

In that case, the party who instituted proceedings before the court second seised may bring those proceedings before the court first seised.

4. Where a court of a Member State on which an acceptance of jurisdiction as referred to in Article 10 confers exclusive jurisdiction is seised, any court of another Member State shall stay the proceedings until such time as the court seised on the basis of the agreement or acceptance declares that it has no jurisdiction under the agreement or acceptance.

5. Where and to the extent that the court has established exclusive jurisdiction in accordance with an acceptance of jurisdiction as referred to in Article 10, any court of another Member State shall decline jurisdiction in favour of that court.

Article 21 U.K. Right of the child to express his or her views

1. When exercising their jurisdiction under Section 2 of this Chapter, the courts of the Member States shall, in accordance with national law and procedure, provide the child who is capable of forming his or her own views with a genuine and effective opportunity to express his or her views, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body.

2. Where the court, in accordance with national law and procedure, gives a child an opportunity to express his or her views in accordance with this Article, the court shall give due weight to the views of the child in accordance with his or her age and maturity.