Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations (the Maintenance Regulation) come into force on 18 June 2011. It is directly effective in English law and applies to all 27 EU Member States (with a few modifications for some countries).
The Maintenance Regulation is intended to enable a maintenance creditor to obtain easily, in one Member State, a decision which will automatically be enforceable in another Member State without further formalities such as registration. For further information see D Eames, ‘The New EU Maintenance Regulation: A Different Outcome in Radmacher v Granatino?' in April [2011] Fam Law 389.
