To this end, the Commission yesterday announced its adoption of a recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations with a view to adopting the new Lugano Convention.
The 1988 Lugano Convention allows for civil and commercial rulings to circulate between the Member States of the European Union, Poland and the Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The Geneva-based EFTA comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The agreement basically aims to make the provisions of the Brussels Regulation (which replaced the Brussels Convention on 1st March 2002) applicable to relations between the Member States, the EFTA States and Poland. The Brussels Regulation defines the powers of the Member States in civil and commercial matters and sets up a simplified mechanism for the recognition and enforcement of civil and commercial rulings.
The Lugano Convention will establish a system identical to that set out in the Brussels Regulation to ensure that the resulting solutions are applied in a uniform manner in a judicial area larger than that of the European Union.