A Newly Released Commentary on the Rome III Regulation

A comprehensive Commentary, edited by Professor Sabine Corneloup and published by Edward Elgar Publishing, was recently released providing an in-depth analysis of the Rome III Regulation implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the law governing cross-border divorce and legal separation. The Commentary is a welcome addition to Elgar’s already thriving ‘Commentaries in Private International Law’ series.

Written by a team of internationally renowned experts of private international law in family matters, the Commentary analyses, on an article-by-article basis, and contextualises the provisions of the Rome III Regulation, providing clear insight into the rationale behind the text. Substantive values and political choices underlying the adoption of the Regulation are factored in the analysis, offering the reader a thorough and comprehensive illustration of the objectives pursued with each article and with the Regulation, overall. In this context, each provision is pondered in connection with, inter alia, the relevant fundamental rights such as non-discrimination between spouses, self-determination of the individual, the protection of the right to marry, and the right to respect for family life.

Overall, the contributors critically engage with each article, shedding the light on the Regulation’s effectiveness and offering a balanced critique by approaching the topics from a variety of viewpoints. In this context, they do not shy away from underscoring gaps currently existing in the text of the Regulation (such as, for instance, that arising from the absence of an autonomous definition of ‘marriage’) and address the open questions that arise therefrom. Furthermore, the Commentary casts the light on the Regulation’s interactions and coordination with complementary instruments adopted in the area of EU family law, and in particular (but not only) the Brussels II-bis Regulation, promoting a thorough understanding of the EU private international law system on divorce and legal separation. Finally, the Commentary delves into the interface of the Regulation with national substantive provisions and the differences arising therefrom, hence providing the reader with a clear and valuable understanding of the issues surrounding the practical application of the Regulation at the national level.

The Commentary benefits from the contributions of:

Alexandre Boiché, Attorney in Paris (France)

Laura Carpaneto, Professor at the University of Genova (Italy)

Christelle Chalas, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lille (France)

Sabine Corneloup, Professor at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas (France)

Stefano Dominelli, Post-Doc Researcher at the University of Genova (Italy)

Pietro Franzina, Professor at the Catholic University of Milan (Italy)

Cristina González Beilfuss, Professor at the University of Barcelona (Spain)

Susanne L. Gössl, Professor at the University of Kiel (Germany)

Petra Hammje, Professor at the University of Nantes (France)

Bettina Heiderhoff, Professor at the University of Münster (Germany)

Fabienne Jault-Seseke, Professor at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin – Paris Saclay (France)

Natalie Joubert, Professor at the University of Burgundy (France)

Thalia Kruger, Professor at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town (South Africa)

Caroline S. Rupp, Junior Professor at the University of Würzburg (Germany)

Jinske Verhellen, Professor at the University of Ghent (Belgium)

The in-depth discussion offered by this Commentary will prove to be an essential guide for private international law scholars and practitioners alike to navigate the complex field of family litigation. It will be of particular interest to those working in family law, including judges, lawyers, public notaries and family mediators, as well as graduate students looking for in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Sabine CORNELOUP (ed), The Rome III Regulation. A Commentary on the Law Applicable to Divorce and Legal Separation, pp v-242 (Elgar, 2020). The eBook version of the Commentary is available on Google Play, ebooks.com and other eBook vendors, while in print the book can be ordered from the Edward Elgar Publishing website.