Part I Implementation of the Conventions

Main implementing provisions

1 Interpretation of references to the Conventions and Contracting States.

1

In this Act—

  • the 1968 Convention” means the Convention on jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (including the Protocol annexed to that Convention), signed at Brussels on 27th September 1968;

  • the 1971 Protocol” means the Protocol on the interpretation of the 1968 Convention by the European Court, signed at Luxembourg on 3rd June 1971;

  • the Accession Convention” means the Convention on the accession to the 1968 Convention and the 1971 Protocol of Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, signed at Luxembourg on 9th October 1978;

  • F1the 1982 Accession Convention” means the Convention on the accession of the Hellenic Republic to the 1968 convention and the 1971 Protocol, with the adjustments made to them by the Accession Convention, signed at Luxembourg on 25th October 1982;

  • F2the 1989 Accession Convention”means the Convention on the accession of the kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic to the 1968 Convention and the 1971 Protocol,with the adjustments made to them by the Accession Convention and the 1982 Accession Convention, signed at Donostia-San Sebastian on 26th May 1989

  • F3“the 1996 Accession Convention" means the Convention on the accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden to the 1968 Convention and the 1971 Protocol, with the adjustments made to them by the Accession Convention, the 1982 Accession Convention and the 1989 Accession Convention, signed at Brussels on 29th November 1996,

  • F24“the 2005 Hague Convention” means the Convention on Choice of Court Agreements concluded on 30th June 2005 at the Hague;

  • F20“the 2007 Hague Convention” means the Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and other forms of Family Maintenance done at The Hague on 23 November 2007;

  • F4F5the Brussels Conventions means the 1968 Convention, the 1971 Protocol, the Accession Convention, the 1982 Accession Convention F6, the 1989 Accession Convention and the 1996 Accession Convention.

  • F7the Lugano Convention” means the Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, between the European Community and the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation and the Kingdom of Denmark signed on behalf of the European Community on 30th October 2007 M1.

  • F8the Maintenance Regulation” means Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 including as applied in relation to Denmark by virtue of the Agreement made on 19th October 2005 between the European Community and the Kingdom of Denmark;

  • F23“the Regulation” means Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (recast) as amended from time to time and as applied by virtue of the Agreement made on 19 October 2005 between the European Community and the Kingdom of Denmark on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (OJ No L 299, 16.11.2005, p62; OJ No L79, 21.3.2013, p4);

2

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

F9a

references to, or to any provision of, the 1968 Convention or the 1971 Protocol are references to that Convention, Protocol or provision as amended by the Accession Convention and the 1982 Accession Convention F10, the 1989 Accession Convention and the 1996 Accession Convention; and

aa

F11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F12b

any reference in any provision to a numbered Article without more is a reference—

i

to the Article so numbered of the 1968 Convention, in so far as the provision applies in relation to that Convention, and

ii

to the Article so numbered of the Lugano Convention, in so far as the provision applies in relation to that Convention,

and any reference to a sub-division of a numbered Article shall be construed accordingly.

F133

In this Act—

  • F252005 Hague Convention State”, in any provision, in the application of that provision in relation to the 2005 Hague Convention, means a State bound by that Convention;

  • F21“2007 Hague Convention State”, in any provision, in the application of that provision in relation to the 2007 Hague Convention, means a State bound by that Convention;

  • Contracting State”, without more, in any provision means—

    1. a

      in the application of the provision in relation to the Brussels Conventions, a Brussels Contracting State; F26...

    2. b

      in the application of the provision in relation to the Lugano Convention, a F14State bound by the Lugano Convention; F27and

    3. c

      F28in the application of the provision in relation to the 2005 Hague Convention, a 2005 Hague Convention State;

  • F15Brussels Contracting State” means a state which is one of the original parties to the 1968 Convention or one of the parties acceding to that Convention under the Accession Convention, or under the 1982 Accession Convention, or under the 1989 Accession Convention, but only with respect to any territory–

    1. a

      to which the Brussels Conventions apply; and

    2. b

      which is excluded from the scope of the Regulation pursuant to F22Articles 349 and 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

  • F16“Maintenance Regulation State”, in any provision, in the application of that provision in relation to the Maintenance Regulation means a Member State;

  • F17“State bound by the Lugano Convention”in any provision, in the application of that provision in relation to the Lugano Convention has the same meaning as in Article 1(3) of that Convention

  • F18“Regulation State” in any provision, in the application of that provision in relation to the Regulation, means a Member State.

4

Any question arising as to whether it is the Regulation, any of F29the Brussels Conventions, the Lugano Convention, or the 2005 Hague Convention which applies in the circumstances of a particular case shall be determined as follows—

a

in accordance with F19Article 64 of the Lugano Convention (which determines the relationship between the Brussels Conventions and the Lugano Convention); F30...

b

in accordance with Article 68 of the Regulation (which determines the relationship between the Brussels Conventions and the Regulation) F31; and

F32c

in accordance with Article 26 of the 2005 Hague Convention (which determines the relationship between the Brussels Conventions, the Lugano Convention, the Regulation and the 2005 Hague Convention).