Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111Show full title

SECTION 3 U.K. Common provisions on enforcement

Subsection 1 U.K. Enforcement

Article 51 U.K. Enforcement procedure

1. Subject to the provisions of this Section, the procedure for the enforcement of decisions given in another Member State shall be governed by the law of the Member State of enforcement. Without prejudice to Articles 41, 50, 56 and 57, a decision given in a Member State which is enforceable in the Member State of origin shall be enforced in the Member State of enforcement under the same conditions as a decision given in that Member State.

2. The party seeking the enforcement of a decision given in another Member State shall not be required to have a postal address in the Member State of enforcement. That party shall be required to have an authorised representative in the Member State of enforcement only if such a representative is mandatory under the law of the Member State of enforcement irrespective of the nationality of the parties.

Article 52 U.K. Authorities competent for enforcement

The application for enforcement shall be submitted to the authority competent for enforcement under the law of the Member State of enforcement as communicated by that Member State to the Commission pursuant to Article 103.

Article 53 U.K. Partial enforcement

1. A party seeking the enforcement of a decision may apply for partial enforcement of the decision.

2. Where a decision has been given in respect of several matters and enforcement has been refused for one or more of them, enforcement shall nonetheless be possible for the parts of the decision not affected by the refusal.

3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall not be used to enforce a decision ordering the return of a child without also enforcing any provisional, including protective, measures, which have been ordered to protect the child from the risk referred to in point (b) of Article 13(1) of the 1980 Hague Convention.

Article 54 U.K. Arrangements for the exercise of rights of access

1. The authorities competent for enforcement or courts of the Member State of enforcement may make arrangements for organising the exercise of rights of access, if the necessary arrangements have not at all or have not sufficiently been made in the decision given by the courts of the Member State having jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter and provided the essential elements of this decision are respected.

2. The arrangements made pursuant to paragraph 1 shall cease to apply following a later decision by the courts of the Member State having jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter.

Article 55 U.K. Service of certificate and decision

1. Where enforcement is sought of a decision given in another Member State, the appropriate certificate issued pursuant to Articles 36 or 47 shall be served on the person against whom enforcement is sought prior to the first enforcement measure. The certificate shall be accompanied by the decision, if not already served on that person, and, where applicable, by the details of the arrangement referred to in Article 54(1).

2. Where service has to be effected in a Member State other than the Member State of origin, the person against whom enforcement is sought may request a translation or transliteration of the following:

(a) the decision, in order to contest the enforcement;

(b) where applicable, the translatable content of the free text fields of the certificate issued pursuant to Article 47,

if not written in or accompanied by a translation or transliteration into either a language which he or she understands, or the official language of the Member State in which he or she is habitually resident or, where there are several official languages in that Member State, the official language or one of the official languages of the place where he or she is habitually resident.

3. Where a translation or transliteration is requested under paragraph 2, no measures of enforcement may be taken other than protective measures until that translation or transliteration has been provided to the person against whom enforcement is sought.

4. Paragraphs 2 and 3 shall not apply to the extent that the decision and, where applicable, the certificate referred to in paragraph 1 have already been served on the person against whom enforcement is sought in compliance with the translation or transliteration requirements in paragraph 2.

Subsection 2 U.K. Suspension of enforcement proceedings and refusal of enforcement

Article 56 U.K. Suspension and refusal

1. The authority competent for enforcement or the court in the Member State of enforcement shall of its own motion or upon application of the person against whom enforcement is sought or, where applicable under national law, of the child concerned suspend the enforcement proceedings where the enforceability of the decision is suspended in the Member State of origin.

2. The authority competent for enforcement or the court in the Member State of enforcement may, upon the application of the person against whom enforcement is sought or, where applicable under national law, of the child concerned, suspend, in whole or in part, the enforcement proceedings for one of the following reasons:

(a) an ordinary appeal against the decision has been lodged in the Member State of origin;

(b) the time for an ordinary appeal referred to in point (a) has not yet expired;

(c) an application for refusal of enforcement based on Article 41, 50 or 57 has been submitted;

(d) the person against whom enforcement is sought has applied in accordance with Article 48 for the withdrawal of a certificate issued pursuant to Article 47.

3. Where the authority competent for enforcement or the court suspends the enforcement proceedings for the reason referred to in point (b) of paragraph 2, it may specify the time within which any appeal is to be lodged.

4. In exceptional cases, the authority competent for enforcement or the court may, upon application of the person against whom enforcement is sought or, where applicable under national law, of the child concerned or of any interested party acting in the best interests of the child, suspend the enforcement proceedings if enforcement would expose the child to a grave risk of physical or psychological harm due to temporary impediments which have arisen after the decision was given, or by virtue of any other significant change of circumstances.

Enforcement shall be resumed as soon as the grave risk of physical or psychological harm ceases to exist.

5. In the cases referred to in paragraph 4, before refusing enforcement under paragraph 6, the authority competent for enforcement or the court shall take appropriate steps to facilitate enforcement in accordance with national law and procedure and the best interests of the child.

6. Where the grave risk referred to in paragraph 4 is of a lasting nature, the authority competent for enforcement or the court, upon application, may refuse the enforcement of the decision.

Article 57 U.K. Grounds for suspension or refusal of enforcement under national law

The grounds for suspension or refusal of enforcement under the law of the Member State of enforcement shall apply in so far as they are not incompatible with the application of Articles 41, 50 and 56.

Article 58 U.K. Jurisdiction of authorities or courts competent for refusal of enforcement

1. The application for refusal of enforcement based on Article 39 shall be submitted to the court communicated by each Member State to the Commission pursuant to Article 103. The application for refusal of enforcement based on other grounds set out in or permitted by this Regulation shall be submitted to the authority or the court communicated by each Member State to the Commission pursuant to Article 103.

2. The local jurisdiction of the authority or court communicated by each Member State to the Commission pursuant to Article 103 shall be determined by the law of the Member State in which proceedings in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article are brought.

Article 59 U.K. Application for refusal of enforcement

1. The procedure for making an application for refusal of enforcement shall, in so far as it is not covered by this Regulation, be governed by the law of the Member State of enforcement.

2. The applicant shall provide the authority competent for enforcement or the court with a copy of the decision and, where applicable and possible, the appropriate certificate issued pursuant to Article 36 or 47.

3. The authority competent for enforcement or the court may, where necessary, require the applicant to provide a translation or transliteration, in accordance with Article 91, of the translatable content of the free text fields of the appropriate certificate issued pursuant to Article 36 or 47 which specifies the obligation to be enforced.

4. If the authority competent for enforcement or the court is unable to proceed without a translation or transliteration of the decision, it may require the applicant to provide such a translation or transliteration in accordance with Article 91.

5. The authority competent for enforcement or the court may dispense with the production of the documents referred to in paragraph 2 if:

(a) it already possesses them; or

(b) it considers it unreasonable to require the applicant to provide them.

In the case referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph, the authority competent for enforcement or the court may require the other party to provide those documents.

6. The party seeking the refusal of enforcement of a decision given in another Member State shall not be required to have a postal address in the Member State of enforcement. That party shall be required to have an authorised representative in the Member State of enforcement only if such a representative is mandatory under the law of the Member State of enforcement irrespective of the nationality of the parties.

Article 60 U.K. Expeditious procedures

The authority competent for enforcement or the court shall act without undue delay in procedures concerning the application for refusal of enforcement.

Article 61 U.K. Challenge or appeal

1. Either party may challenge or appeal against a decision on the application for refusal of enforcement.

2. The challenge or appeal shall be lodged with the authority or court communicated by the Member State of enforcement to the Commission pursuant to Article 103 as the authority or court with which such a challenge or appeal is to be lodged.

Article 62 U.K. Further challenge or appeal

A decision given on the challenge or appeal may only be contested by a challenge or appeal where the courts with which any further challenge or appeal is to be lodged have been communicated by the Member State concerned to the Commission pursuant to Article 103.

Article 63 U.K. Stay of proceedings

1. The authority competent for enforcement or the court to which an application for refusal of enforcement is submitted or which hears an appeal lodged under Article 61 or 62 may stay the proceedings for one of the following reasons:

(a) an ordinary appeal against the decision has been lodged in the Member State of origin;

(b) the time for an ordinary appeal referred to in point (a) has not yet expired; or

(c) the person against whom enforcement is sought has applied for the withdrawal in accordance with Article 48 of a certificate issued pursuant to Article 47.

2. Where the authority competent for enforcement or court stays the proceedings for the reason referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, it may specify the time within which an appeal is to be lodged.