On Monday 29 August, the European Union announced its accession to the 2019 Hague Convention, which allows for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial cases.
The Commission had proposed this accession in July 2021 (see EUROPE 12764/6). Both the European Parliament and the EU Council gave the green light in June and July 2022 respectively (see EUROPE 12992/30, 12978/12).
The Convention has not yet been ratified by any country. This is now the case for the EU, but also for Ukraine. Five other states have signed it and thus indicated their interest in joining: Costa Rica, Israel, Russia, the United States and Uruguay.
“The wider the accession rate of States to the Hague Judgments Convention, the more powerful an instrument it will become for the benefit of more citizens, more companies, and wider international trade and investment”, said EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)