Tag Archive for: judgments

HCCH Monthly Update: December 2023 – January 2024

/in /by

Conventions & Instruments

On 1 December 2023, the 1965 Service Convention entered into force for Singapore. The Convention currently has 82 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 1 January 2024, the 1965 Service Convention entered into force for Paraguay. The Convention currently has 82 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 9 January 2024, Cabo Verde deposited its instrument of accession to the 2007 Child Support Convention. With the accession of Cabo Verde, 49 States and the European Union are bound by the Convention. More information is available here.

On 11 January 2024, the 1961 Apostille Convention entered into force for Canada. The Convention currently has 126 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 12 January 2024, the United Kingdom signed the 2019 Judgments Convention. The Convention will enter into force for the United Kingdom only after the deposit of an instrument of ratification (pursuant to Art. 28(2) of the Convention). Currently, 29 HCCH Members are either bound by the 2019 Judgments Convention or a Contracting Party for which the Convention has not yet entered into force (Uruguay). More information is available here.

Read more

HCCH Monthly Update: February 2023

/in /by

Conventions & Instruments

On 1 February 2023, the 1980 Child Abduction Convention entered into force for Botswana. The Convention currently has 103 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 17 February 2023, Azerbaijan deposited its instrument of accession to the 1965 Service and 2007 Child Support Conventions. The 1965 Service Convention, which now has 80 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Azerbaijan on 1 September 2023, subject to the Article 28 procedure. As for the 2007 Child Support Convention, with the accession of Azerbaijan 46 States and the European Union are now bound by it. It will enter into force for Azerbaijan on 28 February 2024. More information is available here.

Meetings & Events

On 7 and 8 February 2023, the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH co-organised the Regional Conference “The HCCH and the relevance of its work for Southern Africa”, together with Finland and South Africa, with the participation of Namibia and Tanzania, as well as other Southern African Development Community States, and hosted by the University of Pretoria (South Africa). More information is available here.

From 13 to 15 February 2023, the International Transfer of Maintenance Funds Experts’ Group met for the fourth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the Experts’ Group continued its work discussing good practices in relation to the cross-border transfer of maintenance payments, with a view to identifying solutions that are cost-effective, transparent, prompt, efficient and accessible. More information is available here.

From 13 to 17 February 2023, the Working Group on Matters Related to Jurisdiction in Transnational Civil or Commercial Litigation met for the fourth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the Working Group made further progress on the development of draft provisions for a possible future instrument on parallel litigation in civil or commercial matters. More information is available here.

Upcoming Events

Registrations are open for the conference “The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Cornerstones – Prospects – Outlook”, which will be held in person on 9-10 June 2023 at the University of Bonn in Germany. More information is available here.

Vacancies

Applications are now open for three- to six-month legal internships for the period from July to December 2023. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31 March 2023 (18:00 CEST). More information is available here.

 

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

 

HCCH Monthly Update: June 2022

/in /by

Conventions & Instruments

On 4 June 2022, the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention entered into force for Indonesia. The Convention currently has 122 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 22 June 2022,  the Philippines deposited its instrument of ratification of the HCCH 2007 Child Support Convention. With this ratification, 44 States and the European Union are now bound by the Child Support Convention. It will enter into force for the Philippines on 1 October 2022. More information is available here.

 

Meetings & Events

On 1 and 2 June, the HCCH Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean organised a judicial training on the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention in partnership with the Judicial School of Bolivia.

On 23 and 24 June, the HCCH participated in the Conference on Conflicts of Jurisdiction organised by the Journal of Private International Law and the Singapore Management University. More information is available here.

On 30 June and 1 July, the HCCH participated in the Regional Forum “HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Prospects for the Western Balkans”, organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Center for International Legal Cooperation. More information is available here.

 

Upcoming Events

The webinar “Cross-border Commercial Dispute Resolution – HCCH 2005 Choice of Court and 2019 Judgments Conventions”, organised in partnership with the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI), will be held on 27 July 2022. More information is available here.

The inaugural CODIFI Conference will be held online from 12 to 16 September 2022. CODIFI will examine issues of private international law in the Commercial, Digital, and Financial (CODIFI) sectors, highlighting developments in the digital economy and fintech industries as well as clarifying the roles of core HCCH instruments: the 1985 Trusts Convention, the 2006 Securities Convention, and the 2015 Choice of Law Principles. More information is available here.

 

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

HCCH Monthly Update: November 2021

/in /by

Conventions & Instruments

On 17 November 2021, the Russian Federation signed the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. Although the 2019 Judgments Convention is not yet in force, the Russian Federation is its fifth signatory. The Russian Federation has been a Member of the HCCH since 2001 and is a Contracting Party to six HCCH Conventions. More information is available here.

Meetings & Events

On 5 November 2021, the HCCH hosted a virtual seminar on the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention and the HCCH 1996 Child Protection Convention for the Supreme Court of Ukraine. This was the second of a series of seminars, organised with the generous support of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, aimed at facilitating the proper and effective implementation of the HCCH Conventions and instruments in Ukraine. More information is available here.

On 8 November 2021, the HCCH Working Group on Preventing and Addressing Illicit Practices in Intercountry Adoption met via videoconference. The Group continued to work on the development of a Toolkit aimed at preventing and addressing illicit practices in intercountry adoptions made under the HCCH 1993 Adoption Convention. More information is available here.

From 15 to 19 November 2021, the HCCH Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy met via videoconference. The Group discussed the form, structure and focus of the final report that is to be presented to the Council on General Affairs and Policy of the HCCH at its 2023 meeting. More information is available here.

From 22 to 25 November 2021, the HCCH participated in the 24th International Congress of the International Union of Judicial Officers. Secretary General Dr Christophe Bernasconi participated in the panel discussion “Cyber Justice: New Opportunities for the Judicial Officer” and in the roundtable discussion “Cyber Justice – The future of our profession – Evolution or Revolution?”, while Senior Legal Officer Dr Ning Zhao delivered a presentation on the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. Dr Zhao’s accompanying article “The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention – adding essential components for an effective international legal framework on recognition and enforcement” will be published in the proceedings of the Congress. More information is available here.

Upcoming Events

HCCH a|Bridged Edition 2021 will be held online on Wednesday, 1 December 2021. This year’s edition will discuss contemporary issues relating to the application of the HCCH 2005 Choice of Court Convention, including the establishment of international commercial courts around the globe and how it enables party autonomy. More information is available here.

 

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

HCCH Monthly Update: September 2021

/in /by

Membership

On 9 September 2021, Honduras deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, becoming the 90th Member of the HCCH. More information is available here.

Conventions & Instruments

On 1 September 2021, the HCCH 1993 Adoption Convention entered into force for Niger. The Convention currently has 104 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

On 16 September 2021, Costa Rica signed the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. Although the 2019 Judgments Convention is not yet in force, Costa Rica is its fourth signatory. More information is available here.

On 16 September 2021, the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention entered into force for Singapore. The Convention currently has 120 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.

Meetings & Events

On 14 and 15 September 2021, the Experts’ Group on Family Agreements met for the fifth time, via videoconference. The Group discussed the most recent revision of the draft Practical Guide on cross-border recognition and enforcement of agreements reached in the course of family matters involving children. More information is available here.

From 28 to 30 September 2021, the Working Group on Preventing and Addressing Illicit Practices in Intercountry Adoption met via videoconference. The Group continued to work on the development of a Toolkit aimed at preventing and addressing illicit practices in intercountry adoptions made under the HCCH 1993 Adoption Convention. More information is available here.

On 28 September 2021, the HCCH Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific hosted the webinar “HCCH|Approach: Twenty-Five Years of the HCCH 1996 Child Protection Convention in the Asia and Pacific Region: Present, Development and Future”. More information is available here.

Publications & Documentation

On 23 September 2021, the Permanent Bureau announced the publication of 19 new translations of the Guide to Good Practice under the Child Abduction Convention: Part VI – Article 13(1)(b). With these new translations, the Guide to Good Practice is now available in 23 European Union (EU) languages. More information is available here.

Other

On 22 September 2021, the Permanent Bureau announced the successful outcome of a new EU Action Grant application for iSupport. This new project will be called iSupport ITMF (International Transfer of Maintenance Funds), as it will aim at establishing a link between the iSupport software and bank accounts held by Central Authorities. More information is available here.

 

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

Webinar on the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention

/in /by

Join us on Friday, 8 October 2021 for the HCCH webinar “Birth of an International Treaty: The 2019 Judgments Convention”! 

In this lecture, the HCCH will take you behind the scenes of the negotiation of its newest treaty. Adopted in July 2019, the Judgments Convention establishes a common framework for the global circulation of judgments in civil or commercial matters, overcoming the complexities arising from differences in legal systems. Once it enters into force, it will increase legal certainty and predictability, essential elements for international trade and business. 

Join us to discover how the Judgments Convention was negotiated and adopted!  

More information, including the registration form, is available here.   

HCCH Monthly Update: March 2021

/in /by

Meeting of the Council on General Affairs and Policy

The Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met online from 1 to 5 March 2021, with over 350 participants. Over the course of five days, HCCH Members reviewed progress made to date and agreed on the work programme for the year ahead. More information is available here.

Several important developments relating to Membership and HCCH Conventions occurred during the meeting:

  • Thailand deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, becoming the 88thMember of the HCCH.
  • El Salvador applied to become a Member of the HCCH. Following a six-month voting period and provided a majority of votes have been cast in its favour, El Salvador will be invited to become a Member by accepting the Statute of the HCCH.
  • Israel signed the HCCH 2005 Choice of Court Convention and the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. The 2005 Choice of Court Convention, which currently binds 31 States and the EU, will enter into force for Israel only after it deposits an instrument of accession or ratification. Although the 2019 Judgments Convention is not yet in force, Israel is the third signatory to the Convention.

More information on these developments is available here.

Finally, as customary the meeting coincided with the publication of the Annual Report of the HCCH. The 2020 Annual Report can be downloaded or ordered here.

Other Meetings & Events

On 15 and 18 March, the HCCH and the International Union of Judicial Officers co-hosted a webinar on the application of the 1965 Service Convention and the 2019 Judgments Convention aimed at judicial officers and other legal professionals. Recordings of the webinar are available here in English and here in French.

On 18 March, the HCCH and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan co-hosted a webinar on the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention in the Asia Pacific, attended by judges and officials of Central Authorities from 12 countries and regions in the Asia Pacific. More information is available here.

On 30 March, the HCCH participated in the virtual High Level Conference “Protecting Vulnerable Adults across Europe – the Way Forward”, organised by the Ministry of Justice of Portugal, the European Commission and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The recording of the conference is available here.

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

HCCH Monthly Update: December 2020

/in /by

Membership

On 4 December 2020, Mongolia was issued with a certificate confirming an affirmative vote in favour of its admission as a Member of the HCCH, following a six-month voting period which ended on 3 December 2020. Mongolia has now been invited to deposit an instrument of acceptance of the HCCH Statute to become a Member of the HCCH.

Meetings & Events

On 2 December 2020, the HCCH and the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union co-hosted the HCCH a|Bridged – Edition 2020, the focus of which was the Golden Anniversary of the HCCH 1970 Evidence Convention. More information about the event is available here.

On 3 December 2020, the HCCH and ASADIP co-hosted an International Conference on the 2019 Judgments Convention. A full recording of the event, held in Spanish, is available on the HCCH Facebook Page and the HCCH YouTube Channel (Part 1 and Part 2).

On 11 December 2020, the HCCH and UNCITRAL co-hosted a Virtual Colloquium on Applicable Law in Insolvency Proceedings. More information, including documentation and audio recordings, is available here.

From 14 to 17 December 2020, the Administrative Cooperation Working Group on the 2007 Child Support Convention met via videoconference. The Group provided guidance in relation to the development of a standard statistical report under the Child Support Convention, including the use of the iSupport case management system, and other matters such as recommended forms and country profiles. More information is available here.

Publications & Documentation

On 22 December 2020, the Permanent Bureau announced the publication of the 4th Edition of the Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Evidence Convention (Evidence Handbook). This edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Convention and is complemented by the Guide to Good Practice on the Use of Video-Link released earlier this year. More information is available here.

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

HCCH Monthly Update: November 2020

/in /by

Conventions & Instruments

On 2 November 2020, Jamaica deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention. It now has 119 Contracting Parties and will enter into force for Jamaica on 3 July 2021. More information is available here.

On 4 November, the Permanent Bureau was informed that on 26 October 2020, Saint Kitts & Nevis deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH 1993 Adoption Convention. It now has 103 Contracting Parties and will enter into force for Saint Kitts & Nevis on 1 February 2021. More information is available here.

Meetings & Events

From 12 to 13 November 2020, the HCCH, together with the UNIDROIT and UNCITRAL, co-hosted the 2020 International Conference of the Judicial Policy Research Institute (Rep. of Korea) on International Commercial Litigation. A full recording of the event is available here.

From 16 to 19 November 2020, the Experts’ Group on Jurisdiction met for the fourth time, via videoconference. The meeting focused on the elements to be included on a possible future instrument on direct jurisdiction and parallel proceedings. More information is available here.

Following last month’s Roundtable on the 2019 Judgments Convention co-hosted by the HCCH and the University of Bonn (a pre-cursor to the September 2021 Conference), a full recording of the event is available here.

Publications & Documentation

On 24 November 2020, the Permanent Bureau launched the post-event publication of the inaugural edition of HCCH a|Bridged, of which the focus was the Service Convention in the Era of Electronic and Information Technology. The publication is now available for download in English only. More information is available here.

These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.

HCCH Update: Upcoming Online Events and Webinars

/in /by

HCCH a|Bridged – Edition 2020: Golden Anniversary of the HCCH 1970 Evidence Convention

Tuesday 2 December 2020, 14:15 CET

Registration | Programme | Event Website | HCCH Evidence Section
(Registration closes 17:00 CET Friday 27 November)

Building upon the success of HCCH a|Bridged – Edition 2019, this year’s edition will focus on the Evidence Convention. Edition 2020 will ensure the event remains true to its name, being short and sharp. Following a keynote speech from Professor Dr Michael Stürner entitled “50 years of the HCCH Evidence Convention – Facilitating cross-border proceedings”, the first panel will discuss the topic “Effective Taking of Evidence under Chapter I of the Convention: A Requesting State’s Perspective”, after which the second panel will consider challenges and opportunities relating to the “Taking of Evidence under Chapter II of the Convention”. The HCCH will be represented by Secretary General Dr Christophe Bernasconi, First Secretary Dr João Ribeiro-Bidaoui, and Legal Officer Ms Elizabeth Zorrilla. 

Conferencia internacional: Convención HCCH 2019 sobre Reconocimiento y Ejecución de Sentencias Extranjeras

Thursday 3 December 2020, 15:00 CET (11:00 local)

Registration | Programme | Event Website | HCCH Judgments Section

This Spanish-language international conference, co-hosted by ASADIP and the HCCH will, as its name suggests, be devoted to the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. The programme will cover an introduction to the Convention and the reasons why States should join, a presentation of the particular benefits of the Convention for Latin America, as well as a discussion of the implementation challenges for States in the region. The HCCH will be represented by First Secretary Dr João Ribeiro-Bidaoui and Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean Mr Ignacio Goicoechea. They will be joined by many other experts, a number of whom were involved in the negotiation of the Convention, including Explanatory Report Co-Rapporteur Professor Francisco Garcimartín.

Book Launch: Elgar Companion on the Hague Conference on Private International Law

Tuesday 15 December 2020, 12:00 CET

Registration & Programme | Elgar Companion

This comprehensive Companion, edited by Thomas John, Rishi Gulati, and Ben Koehler, is a unique guide to the HCCH, comprising contributions from international experts who have all directly or indirectly been involved with the work of the HCCH. The Companion is an assessment of, and reflection on, past and possible future contributions of the HCCH to the further development and unification of private international law.
The Companion will be launched by HCCH Secretary General Dr Christophe Bernasconi, followed by a Conversation and Q&A with Professor Xandra Kramer (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Mr Justin Gleeson SC (Banco Chambers, Sydney, Australia) around the theme of “the importance of private international law to providing access to justice”. The launch is being organised by Grotius Chambers.

This post is published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference of Private International Law (HCCH).