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Material Ambit of EU Regulations on Property Regimes of Cross-Border Couples: Which Family Formations Are Left to Croatian National Legislation?

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Balkan Yearbook of European and International Law 2022

Part of the book series: Balkan Yearbook of European and International Law ((BYEIL,volume 2022))

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Abstract

A particularity of the Twin Regulations, the most recent sources of EU private international law on cross-border couples’ property regimes, is the fact that their material scope of application might differ depending on whether the proceedings are instituted before the participating Member State which recognises same-sex marriages. This is the consequence of the fact that Regulation 2016/1104 offers the definition of registered partnership, whereas Regulation 2016/1103 leaves to national legislations to define marriage. The paper analyses which of the Twin Regulations will the Croatian court, seised with a property claim of same-sex spouses, apply. After defining the material ambit of each of the Twin Regulations from the perspective of the Croatian court, family formations, which are not covered by these instruments, are identified. The paper tries to untangle the complex interrelation of Croatian PIL provisions and other relevant EU private international law sources, in the attempt of delimiting which of these family formations’ property claims are left to Croatian PIL Act.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Regulation 2016/1103, OJ L 183, 8.7.2016, pp. 1–29.

  2. 2.

    Regulation 2016/1104, OJ L 183, 8.7.2016, pp. 30–56.

  3. 3.

    Croatian PIL Act, NN 101/17.

  4. 4.

    The 1982 PIL Act, NN 53/91, 88/01.

  5. 5.

    Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 of 18 December 2008 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations, OJ L 7, 10.1.2009, pp. 1–79.

  6. 6.

    Hague Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations.

  7. 7.

    Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and acceptance and enforcement of authentic instruments in matters of succession and on the creation of a European Certificate of Succession, OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, pp. 107–134.

  8. 8.

    Dutta (2018), p. 147.

  9. 9.

    On these conditions Cazorla Gonzalez and Soto Moya (2022), pp. 44–45.

  10. 10.

    Winkler (2021), p. 455.

  11. 11.

    Antokolskaia (2010), p. 402.

  12. 12.

    Laws and Families database, interactive database, provides various information on regulation of marriage and other formal and informal unions in EU Member States (not all Member States are included), including rights and obligations of spouses, partners or members of the union, as well as the fact whether marriage or other union may legally commence before the registry, public authority or religious authority. Laws and families. Available at: https://www.lawsandfamilies.eu/en/legal-project/interactive-database/. Accessed 14 Mar 2022.

    On different understanding of marriage in civil and common law systems see Harding (2011), pp. 206–207.

  13. 13.

    See opinion of Advocate General Wathelet delivered on 11 January 2018, Case C-673/16, Coman, EU:C:2018:2, paras 56–67.

  14. 14.

    Kunda (2019), p. 29; Rudolf (2019), pp. 134–135.

  15. 15.

    For more information on which Member States provide the possibility of same-sex marriage, same-sex partnership or neither of these options, see Dougan (2022), pp. 219–220.

  16. 16.

    Dutta (2018), pp. 150–151.

  17. 17.

    Joubert (2017), p. 7; Dutta (2018), p. 149; Coester-Waltjen (2018), p. 198; Rodriguez Benot (2020), p. 18.

  18. 18.

    Outcome of the Council Meeting, Brussels, 3 and 4 December 2015, p. 5. Available at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/23027/st14937en15_v5.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2022. See Dougan (2022), p. 222.

  19. 19.

    Rudolf (2019), pp. 134–135.

  20. 20.

    Coester-Waltjen (2018), p. 198.

  21. 21.

    Bonomi (2017), p. 131 et seq, particularly 132.

  22. 22.

    Dutta (2018), p. 152.

  23. 23.

    Dutta (2018), pp. 150–151.

  24. 24.

    Bonomi (2017), p. 132; Dutta (2018), pp. 152–153.

  25. 25.

    Art. 62(2) of the Croatian Constitution (NN 56/1990, 135/1997, 113/2000, 28/2001, 76/2010, 5/2014). This definition is the result of the national referendum held on 1 December 2014. See Decision of the Constitutional Court SuP-O-1/2014 of 14 January 2014, available at: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2014_01_5_93.html. Accessed 18 Feb 2022. Croatian Family Act (NN 103/2015, 98/2019, 47/2020) contains a definition consistent with the one from the Constitution in Art. 12 which prescribes that a marriage is a life union of a man and a woman regulated by law. The same definition was present even prior to the amendments of 2014, in the 2003 Family Act (NN 116/2003) in Art. 5.

  26. 26.

    Act on Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex, NN, 92/2014, 98/2019.

  27. 27.

    Art. 2 of the Life Partnership Act.

  28. 28.

    Part I of the Life Partnership Act.

  29. 29.

    Dougan (2022), p. 228.

  30. 30.

    Lipstein (1981), p. 22.

  31. 31.

    Marino (2017), p. 268.

  32. 32.

    Art. 26(1) of the Regulation 2016/1104.

  33. 33.

    See Art. 26 of the Regulation 2016/1103.

  34. 34.

    In terms of substantive law, there are significant differences in regulating these unions and their property effects across the EU. Winkler (2019), p. 453.

  35. 35.

    Dutta (2018), p. 154.

  36. 36.

    Rudolf (2019), p. 134.

  37. 37.

    Dutta (2018), p. 156.

  38. 38.

    Brussels I bis Regulation, OJ L 351, 20.12.2012, pp. 1–32.

  39. 39.

    Rome I Regulation, OJ L 177, 4.7.2008, pp. 6–16.

  40. 40.

    Rome II Regulation, OJ L 199, 31.7.2007, pp. 40–49.

  41. 41.

    Judgment of 6 June 2019, Weil v. Gulacsi, C-361/18, EU:C:2019:473.

  42. 42.

    Brussels I Regulation, OJ L 12, 16.1.2001, pp. 1–23.

  43. 43.

    See Report of 27.6.2005 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations (“Rome II”) (COM(2003)0427 – C5-0338/2003 – 2003/0168(COD)), first reading in European parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-6-2005-0211_EN.html. Accessed 12 Apr 2022.

  44. 44.

    See, with regards to respective exclusion in the Rome I Regulation, McParland (2015), pp. 209 and 211.

  45. 45.

    See Plender and Wilderspin (2009), pp. 479–480.

  46. 46.

    Gray v Hurley [2019] EWHC 1636 (QB) (25 June 2019).

  47. 47.

    Gray v Hurley [2019] EWHC 1636 (QB) (25 June 2019), paras 108–115.

  48. 48.

    Lüttringhaus (2020), p. 37. Bach (2011), p. 45.

  49. 49.

    See for instance judgment of 19 November 1988, Nilsson and Others, C-162/97, EU:C:1998:554, para 54. See also Humphreys et al. (2015), pp. 2–4 and Klimas and Vaičiukaite (2008), pp. 83–85.

  50. 50.

    Garcimartín Alférez (2007), p. 81.

  51. 51.

    For more on family formations in Croatia and their regulation, please see Bukovac Puvača et al. (2019), pp. 68–92.

  52. 52.

    See paragraphs 2 and 4 of Art. 49 of the Croatian PIL Act.

  53. 53.

    Kunda (2020), p. 33.

  54. 54.

    Hoško refers to these provisions as constitutive, autonomous provisions. See Hoško (2019), pp. 24–27.

    There are other instances in Croatian PIL Act of extending reference provisions. For more see: Kunda (2020), pp. 30–31. For instance, Italian legislator used the same approach when extending the application of the Brussels Convention to defendants domiciled outside of the EU in Art. 3(2) of the Italian PIL Act. See Einhorn et al. (2017), p. 2209. Another example is Belgian PIL Act which extends the application of the Rome I Regulation even for matters excluded from its material scope of application. See Francq (2017) p. 1914.

  55. 55.

    Šarčević (2004), pp. 368–369.

    Art. 39 of the 1982 PIL Act:

    1. 1.

      The law governing the property relations of persons who live in cohabitation without form of marriage is the law of the state of which they are citizens.

    2. 2.

      If the persons referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article do not have the same nationality the law of the state where they have common domicile is to be applied.

    3. 3.

      The law governing the contractual property relations between persons who live in cohabitation without form of marriage is the law governing their property relations at the time the contract is concluded.

    Translation of the 1982 PIL Act from Matić (1983), p. 223.

  56. 56.

    Knežević (1991), p. 133.

  57. 57.

    Translation of the 1982 PIL Act from Matić (1983), p. 228.

  58. 58.

    Šarčević (1985), pp. 287–288.

  59. 59.

    Assessment of the Situation and Basic Issues Regulated by the Act on Private International Law and the Consequences of the Adoption of the Act, p. 1. Available at: https://esavjetovanja.gov.hr/Documents/Download?documentId=3789. Accessed 15 Jun 2022.

  60. 60.

    Sajko et al. (2001), p. 272.

  61. 61.

    According to Art. 11(2) of the Family Act, the extramarital union produces the same personal and property effects as a marital union. See Lucić (2020), p. 156 et seq. Life partners generally have the same rights as spouses in Croatia and life partnership produces equivalent effect to those of a marriage. See also for instance Art. 37(4) and Art. 79 of the Life Partnership Act. Informal life partnership produces personal and property effects equivalent to those of a life partnership in the area of personal rights, relations related to children and property relations of life partners, whereas with respect to areas such as succession, tax system, pension insurance, social welfare system, mandatory health insurance and health protection, rights and obligations from employment relations, access to public and market services and public legal position, it creates effects comparable to those of an extramarital union. See Art. 4(1) and (2) of the Life Partnership Act.

  62. 62.

    This type of provisions in Croatian PIL Act which merely indicate which instrument needs to be applied are of purely educative character. Župan (2018), p. 2.

  63. 63.

    As a general rule, the Brussels I bis Regulation does not apply to defendants domiciled outside of the EU. However, there are exceptions to such rule: Arts. 18(1), 21(2), 24, 25 and 26 (according to CJEU judgment of 13 July 2000, Group Josi, C-412/98, EU:C:2000:399, para. 44).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law, Rijeka, Croatia

    Danijela Vrbljanac

Authors
  1. Danijela Vrbljanac
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Correspondence to Danijela Vrbljanac .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rijeka, Croatia

    Ivana Kunda

  2. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Zlatan Meškić

  3. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Enis Omerović

  4. Belgrade, Serbia

    Dušan V. Popović

Appendices

Legal Instruments

  • Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1103 of 24 June 2016 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of jurisdiction, applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matters of matrimonial property regimes, OJ L 183, 8.7.2016, pp. 1–29

  • Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1104 of 24 June 2016 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of jurisdiction, applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matters of the property consequences of registered partnerships, OJ L 183, 8.7.2016, pp. 30–56

  • Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and acceptance and enforcement of authentic instruments in matters of succession and on the creation of a European Certificate of Succession, OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, pp. 107–134

  • Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, OJ L 351, 20.12.2012, pp. 1–32

  • Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 of 18 December 2008 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations, OJ L 7, 10.1.2009, pp. 1–79

  • Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations, OJ L 177, 4.7.2008, pp. 6–16

  • Regulation (EC) No 864/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations, OJ L 199, 31.7.2007, pp. 40–49

  • Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, OJ L 12, 16.1.2001, pp. 1–23

  • Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, NN 56/1990, 135/1997, 113/2000, 28/2001, 76/2010, 5/2014

  • Croatian PIL Act (Zakon o međunarodnom privatnom pravu), NN 101/2017

  • The 1982 PIL Act (Zakon o rješavanju sukoba zakona s propisima drugih zemalja u određenim odnosima), NN 53/1991, 88/2001

  • Family Act (Obiteljski zakon), NN 103/2015, 98/2019, 47/2020

  • The 2003 Family Act, NN 116/2003

  • Act on Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex, NN, 92/2014, 98/2019

Judgments

  • CJEU judgment of 6 June 2019, Weil v. Gulacsi, C-361/18, EU:C:2019:473

  • CJEU judgment of 19 November 1988, Nilsson and Others, C-162/97, EU:C:1998:554

  • Judgment of the England and Wales High Court Gray v Hurley [2019] EWHC 1636 (QB) (25 June 2019)

  • Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia SuP-O-1/2014 of 14 January 2014. Available at: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2014_01_5_93.html. Accessed 18 Feb 2022

  • Opinion of Advocate General Wathelet delivered on 11 January 2018, Case C-673/16, Coman, EU:C:2018:2

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Vrbljanac, D. (2023). Material Ambit of EU Regulations on Property Regimes of Cross-Border Couples: Which Family Formations Are Left to Croatian National Legislation?. In: Kunda, I., Meškić, Z., Omerović, E., Popović, D.V. (eds) Balkan Yearbook of European and International Law 2022. Balkan Yearbook of European and International Law, vol 2022. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29432-7_4

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