http://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2019/1111/chapter/IIICouncil Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 of 25 June 2019 on jurisdiction, the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, and on international child abduction (recast)Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 of 25 June 2019 on jurisdiction, the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, and on international child abduction (recast)2020-12-11King's Printer of Acts of Parliamenthttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/eu-exit/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1111texttext/xmlen2019-06-25 CHAPTER III <Strong>INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION</Strong> Return of the child under the 1980 Hague Convention Article 22 Where a person, institution or other body alleging a breach of rights of custody applies, either directly or with the assistance of a Central Authority, to the court in a Member State for a decision on the basis of the 1980 Hague Convention ordering the return of a child under 16 years that has been wrongfully removed or retained in a Member State other than the Member State where the child was habitually resident immediately before the wrongful removal or retention, Articles 23 to 29, and Chapter VI, of this Regulation shall apply and complement the 1980 Hague Convention. Receipt and processing of applications by Central Authorities Article 23 1 The requested Central Authority shall act expeditiously in processing an application, based on the 1980 Hague Convention, as referred to in Article 22. 2 Where the Central Authority of the requested Member State receives an application referred to in Article 22, it shall, within five working days from the date of receipt of the application, acknowledge receipt. It shall, without undue delay, inform the Central Authority of the requesting Member State or the applicant, as appropriate, what initial steps have been or will be taken to deal with the application, and may request any further necessary documents and information. Expeditious court proceedings Article 24 1 A court to which an application for the return of a child referred to in Article 22 is made shall act expeditiously in proceedings on the application, using the most expeditious procedures available under national law. 2 Without prejudice to paragraph 1 a court of first instance shall,, except where exceptional circumstances make this impossible, give its decision no later than six weeks after it is seised. 3 Except where exceptional circumstances make this impossible, a court of higher instance shall give its decision no later than six weeks after all the required procedural steps have been taken and the court is in a position to examine the appeal, whether by hearing or otherwise. Alternative dispute resolution Article 25 As early as possible and at any stage of the proceedings, the court either directly or, where appropriate, with the assistance of the Central Authorities, shall invite the parties to consider whether they are willing to engage in mediation or other means of alternative dispute resolution, unless this is contrary to the best interests of the child, it is not appropriate in the particular case or would unduly delay the proceedings. Right of the child to express his or her views in return proceedings Article 26 Article 21 of this Regulation shall also apply in return proceedings under the 1980 Hague Convention. Procedure for the return of a child Article 27 1 A court cannot refuse to return a child unless the person seeking the return of the child has been given an opportunity to be heard. 2 The court may, at any stage of the proceedings, in accordance with Article 15, examine whether contact between the child and the person seeking the return of the child should be ensured, taking into account the best interests of the child. 3 Where a court considers refusing to return a child solely on the basis of point (b) of Article 13(1) of the 1980 Hague Convention, it shall not refuse to return the child if the party seeking the return of the child satisfies the court by providing sufficient evidence, or the court is otherwise satisfied, that adequate arrangements have been made to secure the protection of the child after his or her return. 4 For the purposes of paragraph 3 of this Article, the court may communicate with the competent authorities of the Member State where the child was habitually resident immediately before the wrongful removal or retention, either directly in accordance with Article 86 or with the assistance of Central Authorities. 5 Where the court orders the return of the child, the court may, where appropriate, take provisional, including protective, measures in accordance with Article 15 of this Regulation in order to protect the child from the grave risk referred to in point (b) of Article 13(1) of the 1980 Hague Convention, provided that the examining and taking of such measures would not unduly delay the return proceedings. 6 A decision ordering the return of the child may be declared provisionally enforceable, notwithstanding any appeal, where the return of the child before the decision on the appeal is required by the best interests of the child. Enforcement of decisions ordering the return of a child Article 28 1 An authority competent for enforcement to which an application for the enforcement of a decision ordering the return of a child to another Member State is made shall act expeditiously in processing the application. 2 Where a decision as referred to in paragraph 1 has not been enforced within six weeks of the date when the enforcement proceedings were initiated, the party seeking enforcement or the Central Authority of the Member State of enforcement shall have the right to request a statement of the reasons for the delay from the authority competent for enforcement. Procedure following a refusal to return the child under point (b) of Article 13(1) and Article 13(2) of the 1980 Hague Convention Article 29 1 This Article shall apply where a decision refusing the return of a child to another Member State is based solely on point (b) of Article 13(1), or on Article 13(2), of the 1980 Hague Convention. 2 The court giving a decision as referred to in paragraph 1 shall, of its own motion, issue a certificate using the form set out in Annex I. The certificate shall be completed and issued in the language of the decision. The certificate may also be issued in another official language of the institutions of the European Union requested by a party. This does not create any obligation for the court issuing the certificate to provide a translation or transliteration of the translatable content of the free text fields. 3 If, at the time the court gives a decision as referred to in paragraph 1, a court in the Member State where the child was habitually resident immediately before the wrongful removal or retention has already been seised of proceedings to examine the substance of rights of custody, the court, if it is aware of these proceedings, shall, within one month of the date of the decision referred to in paragraph 1, transmit to the court of that Member State, either directly or through the Central Authorities the following documents: a a copy of its decision as referred to in paragraph 1; b the certificate issued pursuant to paragraph 2; and c where applicable, a transcript, summary or minutes of the hearings before the court and any other documents it considers relevant. 4 The court in the Member State where the child was habitually resident immediately before the wrongful removal or retention may, where necessary, require a party to provide a translation or transliteration, in accordance with Article 91, of the decision as referred to in paragraph 1 and any other document attached to the certificate in accordance with point (c) of paragraph 3 of this Article. 5 If, in cases other than those referred to in paragraph 3, within three months of the notification of a decision as referred to in paragraph 1, one of the parties seises a court in the Member State where the child was habitually resident immediately before the wrongful removal or retention in order for the court to examine the substance of rights of custody, the following documents shall be submitted to the court by that party: a a copy of the decision as referred to in paragraph 1; b the certificate issued pursuant to paragraph 2; and c where applicable, a transcript, summary or minutes of the hearings before the court which refused the return of the child. 6 Notwithstanding a decision on non-return as referred to in paragraph 1, any decision on the substance of rights of custody resulting from proceedings referred to in paragraphs 3 and 5 which entails the return of the child shall be enforceable in another Member State in accordance with Chapter IV.