PROTOCOL drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on the interpretation by the Court of Justice of the European Communities of the Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters

THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES to this Protocol, Member States of the European Union,

REFERRING to the Council Act of 28 May 1998 drawing up, on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, the Protocol on the Interpretation by the Court of Justice of the European Communities of the Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters,

REFERRING to Article 45 of the Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters, which provides that the Court of Justice of the European Communities shall have jurisdiction to give rulings on the interpretation of that Convention and this Protocol,

WISHING to regulate the conditions under which the Court of Justice of the European Communities shall have jurisdiction to give rulings on questions of interpretation of the Convention and this Protocol,

HAVE AGREED UPON THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS:

Article 1

In accordance with Article 45 of the Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters, hereinafter referred to as 'the Convention`, the Court of Justice of the European Communities shall have jurisdiction, under the conditions laid down in this Protocol, to give rulings on the interpretation of the Convention and this Protocol.

Article 2

1. At the time of the notification referred to in Article 9(2), each Member State shall indicate which courts may request the Court of Justice to give preliminary rulings on questions of interpretation.

2. The courts to which this right may be granted shall be either:

a) the highest courts of Member States listed in Article 3, or

b) the highest courts listed in Article 3 and the other courts of the Member States where they are sitting in an appellate capacity.

Article 3

1. For the purposes of applying this Protocol, the highest courts of Member States are those listed below:

- in Belgium: the 'Cour de Cassation` or the 'Hof van Cassatie` and the 'Conseil d'Etat` or the 'Raad van State`,

- in Denmark: the 'Højesteret`,

- in Germany: the 'Obersten Gerichtshöfe des Bundes`,

- in Greece: 'Áíþôáôï Åéäéêü ÄéêáóôÞñéï`, 'Áñåéïò ÐÜãïò`, 'Óõìâïýëéï Åðéêñáôåßáò`, 'Åëåãêôéêü ÓõíÝäñéï`,

- in Spain: the 'Tribunal Supremo`,

- in France: the 'Cour de Cassation` and the 'Conseil d'Etat`,

- in Ireland: the Supreme Court,

- in Italy: the 'Corte Suprema di Cassazione`,

- in Luxembourg: the 'Cour supérieure de justice` sitting as a Cassation Court,

- in the Netherlands: the 'Hoge Raad`,

- in Austria: the 'Oberste Gerichtshof`, the 'Verwaltungsgerichtshof` and the 'Verfassungsgerichtshof`,

- in Portugal: the 'Supremo Tribunal de Justiça`,

- in Finland: 'korkein oikeus/högsta domstolen` and 'korkein hallinto-oikeus/högsta förvaltningsdomstolen`,

- in Sweden: 'Högsta domstolen and Regerings´rtten`,

- in the United Kingdom: the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords.

2. At the request of the Member State concerned, the list of Member States' highest courts referred to in paragraph 1 may be amended by a decision of the Council.

Article 4

1. Where a question of interpretation is raised in a case pending before one of the highest courts listed in Article 3(1), that court shall, if it considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, request the Court of Justice to give a ruling thereon.

2. Where such a question is raised before a court sitting in an appellate capacity, that court may, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 1, request the Court of Justice to give a ruling thereon.

Article 5

The Council, the Commission and the Member States shall have the right to submit to the Court statements of cases or written observations in cases brought before it under Article 1.

Article 6

1. The competent authority of a Member State may request the Court of Justice to give a ruling on a question of interpretation if judgments given by courts of that State conflict with the interpretation given either by the Court of Justice or in a judgment of one of the courts of another Member State referred to in Article 2, if that Member State is a Party to this Protocol. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply only to judgments which have become res judicata.

2. The interpretation given by the Court of Justice in response to such a request shall not affect the judgments which gave rise to the request for interpretation.

3. The Procurators-General of the Courts of Cassation of the Member States, or any other authority designated by a Member State, shall be entitled to request the Court of Justice for a ruling on interpretation in accordance with paragraph 1.

4. The Registrar of the Court of Justice shall give notice of the request to the Member States, to the Commission and to the Council. They shall then be entitled within two months of the notification to submit statements of case or written observations to the Court.

5. No fees shall be levied or any costs or expenses awarded in respect of the proceedings provided for in this Article.

Article 7

The Protocol on the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Community and the Rules of Procedure of that Court shall apply.

Article 8

This Protocol may not be subject to any reservation.

Article 9

1. This Protocol shall be subject to adoption by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional rules.

2. Member States shall notify the depositary of the completion of their respective constitutional requirements for the adoption of this Protocol.

3. This Protocol shall enter into force 90 days after the notification referred to in paragraph 2 by the third State which, being a member of the European Union at the time the Council adopts the act drawing up this Protocol, completes that formality. However, it shall at the earliest enter into force at the same time as the Convention.

Article 10

1. This Protocol shall be open to acession by any State that becomes a member of the European Union.

2. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the depositary.

3. When depositing its instruments of accession, the acceding Member State shall indicate in a declaration:

a) the conditions for the application of Article 2 with respect to it;

b) which of its highest Courts has, or shall have, the right to ask the Court of Justice to give preliminary rulings on questions of interpretation in accordance with Article 3(1).

4. Before the date on which this Protocol enters into force in respect of the acceding Member State, the Council shall adopt, in accordance with Article 3(2), amendments to the list of highest Courts in Article 3(1).

5. The text of this Protocol in the language or languages of the acceding Member State, as drawn up by the Council, shall be authentic.

6. This Protocol shall enter into force with respect to any Member State that accedes to it 90 days after the date of deposit of its instrument of accession or on the date of entry into force of this Protocol if it has not already entered into force at the time of expiry of the said period of 90 days.

Article 11

1. Without prejudice to Article 3(2) and Article 10(4), amendments to this Protocol may be proposed by any Member State party to this Protocol or by the Commission. Any proposal for an amendment shall be sent to the depositary, who shall forward it to the Council.

2. Amendments shall be drawn up by the Council, which shall recommend that they be adopted by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional rules.

3. Amendments thus adopted shall enter into force in accordance with the provisions of Article 9.

Article 12

1. The Secretary-General of the Council shall act as depositary of this Protocol.

2. The depositary shall publish in the Official Journal of the European Communities the notifications, instruments or communications concerning this Protocol.

En fe de lo cual los plenipotenciarios abajo firmantes suscriben el presente Protocolo.

Til bekræftelse heraf har undertegnede befuldmægtigede underskrevet denne protokol.

Zu Urkund dessen haben die unterzeichneten Bevollmächtigten ihre Unterschrift unter dieses Protokoll gesetzt.

Óå ðéóôþóç ôùí áíùôÝñù, ïé õðïãñÜöïíôåò ðëçñåîïýóéïé Ýèåóáí ôçí õðïãñáöÞ ôïõò êÜôù áðü ôï ðáñüí ðñùôüêïëëï.

In witness whereof, the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Protocol.

En foi de quoi, les plénipotentiaires soussignés ont apposé leurs signatures au bas du présent protocole.

Dá fhianú sin, chuir na Lánchumhachtaigh thíos-sínithe a lámh leis an bPrótacal seo.

In fede di che i plenipotenziari sottoscritti hanno apposto le loro firme in calce al presente protocollo.

Ten blijke waarvan de ondergetekende gevolmachtigden hun handtekening onder dit protocol hebben gesteld.

Em fé do que, os plenipotenciários abaixo-assinados apuseram as suas assinaturas no presente protocolo.

Tämän vakuudeksi alla mainitut täysivaltaiset edustajat ovat allekirjoittaneet tämän pöytäkirjan.

Till bekräftelse härav har undertecknade befullmäktigade ombud undertecknat detta protokoll.

Hecho en Bruselas, el veintiocho de mayo de mil novecientos noventa y ocho, en un ejemplar único en lenguas alemana, danesa, española, finesa, francesa, griega, inglesa, irlandesa, italiana, neerlandesa, portuguesa y sueca, siendo cada uno de estos textos igualmente auténtico, que será depositado en los archivos de la Secretaría General del Consejo de la Unión Europea.

Udfærdiget i Bruxelles, den otteogtyvende maj nitten hundrede og otteoghalvfems, i ét eksemplar på dansk, engelsk, finsk, fransk, græsk, irsk, italiensk, nederlandsk, portugisisk, spansk, svensk og tysk, idet hver af disse tekster har samme gyldighed; de deponeres i arkiverne i Generalsekretariatet for Rådet for Den Europæiske Union.

Geschehen zu Brüssel am achtundzwanzigsten Mai neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig in einer Urschrift in dänischer, deutscher, englischer, finnischer, französischer, griechischer, irischer, italienischer, niederländischer, portugiesischer, schwedischer und spanischer Sprache, wobei jeder Wortlaut gleichermaßen verbindlich ist; die Urschrift wird im Archiv des Generalsekretariats des Rates der Europäischen Union hinterlegt.

¸ãéíå óôéò ÂñõîÝëëåò, óôéò åßêïóé ïêôþ ÌáÀïõ ÷ßëéá åííéáêüóéá åíåíÞíôá ïêôþ, óå Ýíá ìüíï áíôßôõðï óôçí áããëéêÞ, ãáëëéêÞ, ãåñìáíéêÞ, äáíéêÞ, åëëçíéêÞ, éñëáíäéêÞ, éóðáíéêÞ, éôáëéêÞ, ïëëáíäéêÞ, ðïñôïãáëéêÞ, óïõçäéêÞ êáé öéíëáíäéêÞ ãëþóóá. ¼ëá ôá êåßìåíá åßíáé åîßóïõ áõèåíôéêÜ. Ôï ðñùôüêïëëï èá êáôáôåèåß óôá áñ÷åßá ôçò ÃåíéêÞò Ãñáììáôåßáò ôïõ Óõìâïõëßïõ ôçò ÅõñùðáúêÞò ¸íùóçò.

Done at Brussels on the twenty-eighth day of May in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight, in a single original in the Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish languages, each text being equally authentic, such original being deposited in the archives of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Fait à Bruxelles, le vingt-huit mai mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit, en un exemplaire unique, en langues allemande, anglaise, danoise, espagnole, finnoise, française, grecque, irlandaise, italienne, néerlandaise, portugaise et suédoise, chaque texte faisant également foi, cet exemplaire étant déposé dans les archives du secrétariat général du Conseil de l'Union européenne.

Arna dhéanamh sa Bhruiséil, ar an ochtú lá is fiche de Bhealtaine sa bhliain míle naoi gcéad nócha a hocht, i scríbhinn bhunaidh amháin sa Bhéarla, sa Danmhairgis, san Fhionlainnis, sa Fhraincis, sa Ghaeilge, sa Ghearmáinis, sa Ghréigis, san Iodáilis, san Ollainnis, sa Phortaingéilis, sa Spáinnis agus sa tSualainnis, agus comhúdarás ag gach ceann de na téacsanna sin; déanfar an scríbhinn bhunaidh sin a thaisceadh i gcartlann Ardrúnaíocht Chomhairle an Aontais Eorpaigh.

Fatto a Bruxelles, addì ventotto maggio millenovecentonovantotto, in unico esemplare in lingua danese, finlandese, francese, greca, inglese, irlandese, italiana, olandese, portoghese, spagnola, svedese e tedesca, ciascun testo facente ugualmente fede; l'esemplare è depositato negli archivi del Segretariato generale del Consiglio dell'Unione europea.

Gedaan te Brussel, de achtentwintigste mei negentienhonderd achtennegentig, in één exemplaar in de Deense, de Duitse, de Engelse, de Finse, de Franse, de Griekse, de Ierse, de Italiaanse, de Nederlandse, de Portugese, de Spaanse en de Zweedse taal, zijnde alle teksten gelijkelijk authentiek, dat wordt nedergelegd in het archief van het Secretariaat-generaal van de Raad van de Europese Unie.

Feito em Bruxelas, em vinte e oito de Maio de mil novecentos e noventa e oito, em exemplar único, nas línguas alemã, dinamarquesa, espanhola, finlandesa, francesa, grega, inglesa, irlandesa, italiana, neerlandesa, portuguesa e sueca, fazendo igualmente fé cada um dos textos, ficando esse exemplar depositado nos arquivos do Secretariado-Geral do Conselho da União Europeia.

Tehty Brysselissä kahdentenakymmenentenäkahdeksantena päivänä toukokuuta vuonna tuhatyhdeksänsataayhdeksänkymmentäkahdeksan englannin, espanjan, hollannin, iirin, italian, kreikan, portugalin, ranskan, ruotsin, saksan, suomen ja tanskan kielellä yhtenä kappaleena, jonka jokainen teksti on yhtä todistusvoimainen ja joka talletetaan Euroopan unionin neuvoston pääsihteeristön arkistoon.

Som skedde i Bryssel den tjugoåttonde maj nittonhundranittioåtta i ett enda exemplar på danska, engelska, finska, franska, grekiska, iriska, italienska, nederländska, portugisiska, spanska, svenska och tyska språken, varvid varje text äger samma giltighet, och detta exemplar skall deponeras i arkiven hos generalsekretariatet för Europeiska unionens råd.

Pour le gouvernement du Royaume de Belgique

Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk België

Für die Regierung des Königreichs Belgien

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For regeringen for Kongeriget Danmark

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Für die Regierung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

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Ãéá ôçí êõâÝñíçóç ôçò ÅëëçíéêÞò Äçìïêñáôßáò

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Por el Gobierno del Reino de España

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Pour le gouvernement de la République française

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Thar ceann Rialtas na hÉireann

For the Government of Ireland

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Per il governo della Repubblica italiana

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Pour le gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

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Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

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Pelo Governo da República Portuguesa

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Suomen hallituksen puolesta

På finska regeringens vägnar

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På svenska regeringens vägnar

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For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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