Balance of Competences Review: Call for Evidence on Civil Judicial Cooperation (including family matters)

Overview

The Balance of Competences Review, launched by the Government last summer, is an opportunity for people to have their say on what the EU does and how it affects the UK. This piece of work will deepen our understanding of EU membership, and help shape the UK’s policies in relation to the EU.

This call for evidence is to examine the scope and nature of the EU’s power to act in the area of Civil Judicial Cooperation (including family matters). To ensure this is an informed and objective analysis, we would like to invite you to contribute objective, factual information about the impact or effect of EU competence in your area of expertise. The Call for Evidence sets out the scope of the report includes a series of broad questions on which we ask contributors to focus.

The Civil Judicial Cooperation Review will be completed by December 2013 and is audit of how EU law and its operation and enforcement affect the UK. It is intended to develop a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the scope and nature of the EU’s power to act on matters of civil judicial cooperation.

The Call for Evidence

We invite input from anyone with relevant knowledge, expertise or experience. This is your opportunity to express your views. Your evidence should be objective, factual information about the impact or effect of the competence in your area of expertise.

We will expect to publish your response and the name of your organisation unless you ask us not to (but please note that, even if you ask us to keep your contribution confidential, we might have to release it in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act). We will not publish your own name unless you wish it to be included. Please base your response on answers to the questions we have set out.

Please note that this is not a formal consultation, but an evidence gathering exercise.