European Union

• BRUSSELS, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gothenburg (Sweden) and Mlaga (Spain) have been selected as the winners of the EU's 2020 European Capital of Smart Tourism competition, following a European Jury meeting in Helsinki on 8 October.
• The European Capital of Smart Tourism is an EU initiative, proposed as a preparatory action by the European Parliament and implemented by the European Commission.
• The European Commission will support the two 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism to showcasing their outstanding initiatives and inspire other European cities to develop tourism in a smarter and more sustainable way."
• The European Jury met on 8 October 2019 in Helsinki and selected two cities to hold the title of the European Capitals of Smart Tourism in 2020.

House of Commons Library

Getting divorced if there is a no-deal Brexit

• This Commons Library briefing paper considers how getting divorced might be affected by a no-deal Brexit This briefing paper considers how getting divorced might be affected by a no-deal Brexit and deals with the position in England and Wales except where stated otherwise.
• It does not deal with related family law matters relating to children and the payment of maintenance.
• However, Brexit may significantly affect procedural matters relating to divorce, particularly in cases involving divorcing spouses from separate EU countries.

Civil judicial co-operation

• Civil judicial co-operation in family law is the legal framework that governs the interaction between different legal systems in cross-border situations, including divorce. In order to provide certainty and to avoid litigation in the courts of more than one country on the same dispute, a set of rules sets out:
  • which country’s law applies;
  • which country’s courts have jurisdiction to hear the case; and
  • the recognition and enforcement in one country of a judgment obtained in another country.

Current rules

• Both regulations deal with procedural matters rather than substantive law.
• Currently, divorce jurisdiction in England and Wales for all cases whether or not there is an international dimension - is primarily based on Brussels IIa rules.
• The 1970 Hague Convention on the Recognition of Divorces and Legal Separations provides rules for the recognition of divorces and legal separations.

Getting divorced after exit day if there is a no-deal Brexit

• The Jurisdiction and Judgments (Family) (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 were made on 6 March 2019 as part of the Governments preparations for a no-deal Brexit.
• They will come into force on exit day.
• The relevant matters are to be governed instead by existing international conventions and a combination of new and pre-EU domestic rules.
• The Government has published guidance which deals with the practical effect of no-deal Brexit on family law disputes.

What will be the position after exit day if there is a deal?

• The terms of any Brexit deal would determine which rules would apply in respect of civil judicial co-operation in family matters after exit day.
• The proposed Withdrawal Agreement, which has not been endorsed by the House of Commons, covers jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions, and related co-operation between central authorities.
• The associated Political Declaration states that the Parties would explore options for judicial cooperation in matrimonial, parental responsibility and other related matters.

• According to the findings, as much as 61% of British respondents didn't know what laws would apply to their personal data after Brexit.
• Another 62% weren't aware of how their data would be protected after the UK left the EU.
• There is a lot of confusion and fear surrounding the impact of Brexit on cloud data."
• Even though a hard Brexit is just weeks away, no one really knows for sure what will happen after the UK leaves the EU.

Main topics on the summit agenda are the EU long-term budget, strategic priorities for the next five years and climate change. MEPs are also likely to comment on the most recent Brexit developments.

You can watch the debate live on EP live and EbS+