Empowering European Families (8 September 2017)

Project Reporters Christiane Wendehorst, Professor of Law at the University of Vienna, and Wendy Schrama, Professor of Family Law and Comparative Law at Utrecht University, presented the results of the first and second out of three workstreams, which dealt with property, maintenance and pension rights for married couples and registered partners. The panel was chaired by Elena Bargelli, Professor of Private Law at the University of Pisa, who is also Chair of the Project’s Members Consultative Committee (MCC).

The Project aims at raising awareness of the intricacies that come with being an international couple, or with moving across borders as a family, in the EU. Elena Bargelli stressed the importance of this Project in light of the various uncertainties in this area of law on an international level. Christiane Wendehorst spoke, amongst others, about the wish for a broad access to the agreements drafted for inter-European couples.  The Project Team is currently working on the national reports of the third workstream and is drafting a model agreement for informal couple relationships.

From 30 November–1 December 2017, Project Members will present the preliminary results of its three workstreams during the Legal Advice to International Couples in Europe Conference in Trier (Germany). For more information on this event, please click here.