International Law and European Union Law

In a European Union of open borders, many occasions may lead to citizens finding themselves before a court of a foreign country. The increasing use of the rights of free movement of persons, goods and services results inevitably in an increase of cross-border disputes.

People and businesses operating in the European Union’s single market can exercise their rights and have a good defence in any country as in their own.

Creditors seeking to enforce a civil court order in another European Union country have to face different legal systems, procedural requirements and languages barriers.

The European Union is putting in place a number of measures designed to help persons with cross-border litigation. These measures aim to ensure that people can approach courts and authorities in any European Union country as easily as in their own.

The main tools for facilitating access to cross-border justice are the principle of mutual recognition and the direct judicial cooperation between national courts. In other words, the European Union ensures that judgments obtained in one European Union country can be recognised and enforced in any other European Union country.

To save money and time by eliminating recognition procedure, the European Union agreed that in certain types of civil cases – called ‘uncontested’ – the claimant is allowed to get a European Enforcement Order certificate.

Regulation 655/2014 on the European Account Preservation Order procedure (EAPO) establishes a new uniform European procedure for the preserving of bank accounts. This procedure will allow creditors to preserve the amount owed in a debtor’s bank account located in the European Union.

For a lawyer who works in the European Union single market is crucial a good knowledge of European Union law, as well as the knowledge of the national law.

The Firm provides legal services to clients who are involved in cross-border trades and disputes in European Union or in a third country.

Globalisation, free trade, cross-border movement of goods, services, technologies, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people etc. demand the knowledge of international law.