14/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Thursday 13 December, MEPs adopted a report by Genowefa Grabowska (PES, Poland) on the draft Council regulation on the jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations. This draft regulation seeks to improve the recovery of maintenance payments in cross-border situations, that is, when the divorced or separated couple live in different member states. MEPs gave very wide support to the regulation, but felt, however, that the text had to be tightened up, for example, on the concepts of “family relationship” and “maintenance obligations”, and there had to be clarification of which national law should apply in the first instance, if the couple live in different countries. “In any case, the best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration,” MEPs stressed. They also highlighted the fact that the regulation should apply in all proceedings relating to divorce, legal separation, marriage annulment or affiliation. (B.C.)