Source: European Parliament
Question for oral answer O-000016/2025
to the Commission
Rule 142
Ilhan Kyuchyuk
on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs
On 27 June 2024, the United Kingdom signed and ratified the Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (the Judgments Convention), which has also been signed by Uruguay, Israel, Costa Rica, Russia, the United States and Ukraine. The Judgments Convention entered into force on 1 September 2023, one year after the first two parties deposited their instruments of ratification/accession. In accordance with Article 29(2) of the Judgments Convention, the EU can notify the depositary, before 27 June 2025, that ratification by the UK does not have the effect of establishing treaty relations between the UK and the EU. If no such notification is issued – that is, if the EU tacitly accepts the UK’s accession – the Judgments Convention will begin to apply between the two parties on 1 July 2025.
Parliament understands that the Commission’s assessment of the UK’s accession is positive and that the Commission would be in favour of tacitly accepting it. However, the significance of private international law rules[1] for EU citizens in this particular area also has a political and legal impact, not only on the area of judicial cooperation but also beyond, bearing in mind the relevance of relations between the EU and the UK in a volatile international context.
With respect for each EU institution’s prerogatives and Parliament’s consistent position[2], a statement would allow the Commission to tacitly accept the UK’s accession to the Judgments Convention on the EU’s behalf, under the relevant provisions of that Convention.
- 1.Given the deadline set down in the Judgments Convention, the need for the EU institutions to act without delay to ascertain the EU’s acceptance of the UK’s accession to the Convention, and Parliament’s intention to make an appropriate statement in this regard, could the Commission confirm its assessment of the UK’s accession to the Convention?
- 2.Having regard to the commitments made in November 2024[3] by Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič with regard to third countries’ accession to conventions and respect for Article 218(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, what concrete steps does the Commission intend to take in future to ensure that Parliament’s prerogatives relating to third countries’ accession to the Judgments Convention are always fully and formally respected under the Treaties, and what timetable does it envisage for taking these steps?
Submitted: 13.5.2025
Lapses: 14.8.2025
- [1] Study requested by Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs – ‘Ensuring Efficient Cooperation with the UK in civil law matters – Situation after Brexit and Options for Future Cooperation’, European Parliament, Directorate-General for Internal Policies, Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, March 2023: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/743340/IPOL_STU(2023)743340_EN.pdf.
- [2] European Parliament resolution of 15 June 2023 on supporting the accession of Ukraine to the Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (OJ C, C/2024/489, 23.1.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/489/oj).
- [3] https://hearings.elections.europa.eu/documents/sefcovic/sefcovic_writtenquestionsandanswers_en.pdf.