Judicial rules and cooperation in family matters (recast of Brussels IIa Regulation)

Briefing 07-11-2016

The unusual approach of splitting the IA into separate headings helps to keep track of the complexity of the discussion, which involves intricate legal notions and arguments. Overall, the IA seems to provide a good qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis seems to have been limited by the lack of available data, and this is especially felt in the assessment of the impacts that the proposed options may have. The IA appears to be very attentive to the concern about the political feasibility of the preferred options and strives to strike a balance between what is necessary to address the problematic issues identified in the evaluation of the Regulation and what is likely to garner the necessary unanimity within the Council.