Hoe juridische barrières voor Europese burgers te slechten? (en)

How to remove the legal and administrative barriers that citizens face when they start a family life, end a marriage or organise their succession in a Member State other than their own will be the focus of a meeting of MEPs, national MPs and experts in Parliament's plenary room on 30 November.

The meeting will be opened by Legal Affairs Committee Chair Klaus-Heiner Lehne (EPP, DE), and European Parliament Vice-President Diana Wallis (ALDE, UK). Belgium's State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, Family Policy and Federal Cultural Institutions, Melchior Wathelet, and the Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will also take part.

A press point with the four speakers will be held at 10.10h in front of the plenary room.

Discussion will be divided into four thematic sessions. The first will focus on cross-border divorces, property regimes applied to marriages and other forms of union, and the mutual recognition of same-sex marriage and of civil partnerships.

The second session will deal with cross-border successions.

Parental responsibility, child custody, visiting rights in cross-border separations, the illegal removal of children and the recognition of surrogacy agreements and international adoption will be discussed in the third session.

The fourth session will provide an overview of the difficulties faced by citizens in proving their civil status in cross-border situations.