The european parliament and the council of the european union

SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

 

Article 1 

1. This 

Regulation 

shall 

apply 

in 

civil 

and 

commercial 

matters whatever the nature of the court or tribunal. It shall 

not extend, in particular, to revenue, customs or administrative 

matters or to the liability of the State for acts and omissions in 

the exercise of State authority (acta iure imperii). 

2. This 

Regulation 

shall 

not 

apply 

to: 

(a) the status or legal capacity of natural persons, rights in 

property arising out of a matrimonial relationship or out 

of a relationship deemed by the law applicable to such 

relationship to have comparable effects to marriage; 

(b) bankruptcy,  proceedings  relating  to  the  winding-up  of 

insolvent companies or other legal persons, judicial arrange­

ments, compositions and analogous proceedings; 

(c) social security; 

(d) arbitration; 

(e) maintenance obligations arising from a family relationship, 

parentage, marriage or affinity; 

(f) wills and succession, including maintenance obligations 

arising by reason of death. 

Article 2 

For the purposes of this Regulation: 

(a) ‘judgment’ means any judgment given by a court or tribunal 

of a Member State, whatever the judgment may be called, 

including a decree, order, decision or writ of execution, as 

well as a decision on the determination of costs or expenses 

by an officer of the court. 

For the purposes of Chapter III, ‘judgment’ includes 

provisional, including protective, measures ordered by a 

court or tribunal which by virtue of this Regulation has 

jurisdiction as to the substance of the matter. It does not 

include a provisional, including protective, measure which is 

ordered by such a court or tribunal without the defendant 

being summoned to appear, unless the judgment containing 

the measure is served on the defendant prior to 

enforcement; 

(b) ‘court  settlement’  means  a  settlement  which  has  been 

approved by a court of a Member State or concluded 

before a court of a Member State in the course of 

proceedings; 

(c) ‘authentic instrument’ means a document which has been 

formally drawn up or registered as an authentic instrument 

in the Member State of origin and the authenticity of which: 

(i) relates  to  the  signature  and  the  content  of  the 

instrument; and 

(ii) has been established by a public authority or other 

authority empowered for that purpose; 

(d)  ‘Member State of origin’ means the Member State in which, 

as the case may be, the judgment has been given, the court 

settlement has been approved or concluded, or the authentic 

instrument has been formally drawn up or registered; 

(e) ‘Member State addressed’ means the Member State in which 

the recognition of the judgment is invoked or in which the 

enforcement of the judgment, the court settlement or the 

authentic instrument is sought; 

(f) ‘court of origin’ means the court which has given the 

judgment the recognition of which is invoked or the 

enforcement of which is sought. 

Article 3 

For the purposes of this Regulation, ‘court’ includes the 

following authorities to the extent that they have jurisdiction 

in matters falling within the scope of this Regulation: 

(a)  in Hungary, in summary proceedings concerning orders to 

pay (fizetési meghagyásos eljárás), the notary (közjegyző); 

(b) in Sweden, in summary proceedings concerning orders to 

pay (betalningsföreläggande) and assistance (handräckning), 

the Enforcement Authority (Kronofogdemyndigheten).

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CHAPTER II 

JURISDICTION 

SECTION 1

 

General provisions 

Article 4 

1. Subject 

to 

this 

Regulation, 

persons 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State shall, whatever their nationality, be sued in the courts of 

that Member State. 

2. Persons 

who 

are 

not 

nationals 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

in 

which they are domiciled shall be governed by the rules of 

jurisdiction applicable to nationals of that Member State. 

Article 5 

1. Persons 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State 

may 

be 

sued 

in 

the 

courts of another Member State only by virtue of the rules set 

out in Sections 2 to 7 of this Chapter. 

2.  In particular, the rules of national jurisdiction of which 

the Member States are to notify the Commission pursuant to 

point (a) of Article 76(1) shall not be applicable as against the 

persons referred to in paragraph 1. 

Article 6 

1.  If the defendant is not domiciled in a Member State, the 

jurisdiction of the courts of each Member State shall, subject to 

Article 18(1), Article 21(2) and Articles 24 and 25, be 

determined by the law of that Member State. 

2. As 

against 

such 

a 

defendant, 

any 

person 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member State may, whatever his nationality, avail himself in 

that Member State of the rules of jurisdiction there in force, 

and in particular those of which the Member States are to notify 

the Commission pursuant to point (a) of Article 76(1), in the 

same way as nationals of that Member State.

 

SECTION 2

 

Special jurisdiction 

Article 7 

A person domiciled in a Member State may be sued in another 

Member State: 

(1) (a)  in matters relating to a contract, in the courts for the 

place of performance of the obligation in question; 

(b) for the purpose of this provision and unless otherwise 

agreed, the place of performance of the obligation in 

question shall be: 

— in the case of the sale of goods, the place in a 

Member State where, under the contract, the 

goods were delivered or should have been delivered, 

—  in the case of the provision of services, the place in 

a Member State where, under the contract, the 

services were provided or should have been 

provided; 

(c) if point (b) does not apply then point (a) applies; 

(2) in matters relating to tort, delict or quasi-delict, in the 

courts for the place where the harmful event occurred or 

may occur; 

(3) as regards a civil claim for damages or restitution which is 

based on an act giving rise to criminal proceedings, in the 

court seised of those proceedings, to the extent that that 

court has jurisdiction under its own law to entertain civil 

proceedings; 

(4) as  regards  a  civil  claim  for  the  recovery,  based  on 

ownership, of a cultural object as defined in point 1 of 

Article 1 of Directive 93/7/EEC initiated by the person 

claiming the right to recover such an object, in the courts 

for the place where the cultural object is situated at the time 

when the court is seised; 

(5) as regards a dispute arising out of the operations of a 

branch, agency or other establishment, in the courts for 

the place where the branch, agency or other establishment 

is situated; 

(6) as regards a dispute brought against a settlor, trustee or 

beneficiary of a trust created by the operation of a 

statute, or by a written instrument, or created orally and 

evidenced in writing, in the courts of the Member State in 

which the trust is domiciled; 

(7) as regards a dispute concerning the payment of remun­

eration claimed in respect of the salvage of a cargo or 

freight, in the court under the authority of which the 

cargo or freight in question: 

(a) has been arrested to secure such payment; or 

(b) could have been so arrested, but bail or other security 

has been given; 

provided that this provision shall apply only if it is claimed 

that the defendant has an interest in the cargo or freight or 

had such an interest at the time of salvage.

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Article 8 

A person domiciled in a Member State may also be sued: 

(1) where he is one of a number of defendants, in the courts 

for the place where any one of them is domiciled, provided 

the claims are so closely connected that it is expedient to 

hear and determine them together to avoid the risk of 

irreconcilable judgments resulting from separate 

proceedings; 

(2)  as a third party in an action on a warranty or guarantee or 

in any other third-party proceedings, in the court seised of 

the original proceedings, unless these were instituted solely 

with the object of removing him from the jurisdiction of 

the court which would be competent in his case; 

(3) on a counter-claim arising from the same contract or facts 

on which the original claim was based, in the court in 

which the original claim is pending; 

(4) in matters relating to a contract, if the action may be 

combined with an action against the same defendant in 

matters relating to rights in rem in immovable property, 

in the court of the Member State in which the property is 

situated. 

Article 9 

Where by virtue of this Regulation a court of a Member State 

has jurisdiction in actions relating to liability from the use or 

operation of a ship, that court, or any other court substituted 

for this purpose by the internal law of that Member State, shall 

also have jurisdiction over claims for limitation of such liability.

 

SECTION 3

 

Jurisdiction in matters relating to insurance 

Article 10 

In matters relating to insurance, jurisdiction shall be determined 

by this Section, without prejudice to Article 6 and point 5 of 

Article 7. 

Article 11 

1. An 

insurer 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State 

may 

be 

sued: 

(a) in the courts of the Member State in which he is domiciled; 

(b) in another Member State, in the case of actions brought by 

the policyholder, the insured or a beneficiary, in the courts 

for the place where the claimant is domiciled; or 

(c) if he is a co-insurer, in the courts of a Member State in 

which proceedings are brought against the leading insurer. 

2. An 

insurer 

who 

is 

not 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State 

but 

has a branch, agency or other establishment in one of the 

Member States shall, in disputes arising out of the operations 

of the branch, agency or establishment, be deemed to be 

domiciled in that Member State. 

Article 12 

In respect of liability insurance or insurance of immovable 

property, the insurer may in addition be sued in the courts 

for the place where the harmful event occurred. The same 

applies if movable and immovable property are covered by 

the same insurance policy and both are adversely affected by 

the same contingency. 

Article 13 

1. In 

respect 

of 

liability 

insurance, 

the 

insurer 

may 

also, 

if 

the 

law of the court permits it, be joined in proceedings which the 

injured party has brought against the insured. 

2.  Articles 10, 11 and 12 shall apply to actions brought by 

the injured party directly against the insurer, where such direct 

actions are permitted. 

3. If 

the 

law 

governing 

such 

direct 

actions 

provides 

that 

the 

policyholder or the insured may be joined as a party to the 

action, the same court shall have jurisdiction over them. 

Article 14 

1. Without 

prejudice 

to 

Article 

13(3), 

an 

insurer 

may 

bring 

proceedings only in the courts of the Member State in which 

the defendant is domiciled, irrespective of whether he is the 

policyholder, the insured or a beneficiary. 

2. The 

provisions 

of 

this 

Section 

shall 

not 

affect 

the 

right 

to 

bring a counter-claim in the court in which, in accordance with 

this Section, the original claim is pending. 

Article 15 

The provisions of this Section may be departed from only by an 

agreement: 

(1) which is entered into after the dispute has arisen; 

(2) which allows the policyholder, the insured or a beneficiary 

to bring proceedings in courts other than those indicated in 

this Section; 

(3) which is concluded between a policyholder and an insurer, 

both of whom are at the time of conclusion of the contract 

domiciled or habitually resident in the same Member State, 

and which has the effect of conferring jurisdiction on the 

courts of that Member State even if the harmful event were 

to occur abroad, provided that such an agreement is not 

contrary to the law of that Member State;

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(4) which is concluded with a policyholder who is not 

domiciled in a Member State, except in so far as the 

insurance is compulsory or relates to immovable property 

in a Member State; or 

(5) which relates to a contract of insurance in so far as it covers 

one or more of the risks set out in Article 16. 

Article 16 

The following are the risks referred to in point 5 of Article 15: 

(1) any loss of or damage to: 

(a) seagoing ships, installations situated offshore or on the 

high seas, or aircraft, arising from perils which relate to 

their use for commercial purposes; 

(b) goods in transit other than passengers’ baggage where 

the transit consists of or includes carriage by such ships 

or aircraft; 

(2) any liability, other than for bodily injury to passengers or 

loss of or damage to their baggage: 

(a) arising out of the use or operation of ships, installations 

or aircraft as referred to in point 1(a) in so far as, in 

respect of the latter, the law of the Member State in 

which such aircraft are registered does not prohibit 

agreements on jurisdiction regarding insurance of such 

risks; 

(b) for  loss  or  damage  caused  by  goods  in  transit  as 

described in point 1(b); 

(3) any financial loss connected with the use or operation of 

ships, installations or aircraft as referred to in point 1(a), in 

particular loss of freight or charter-hire; 

(4)  any risk or interest connected with any of those referred to 

in points 1 to 3; 

(5)  notwithstanding points 1 to 4, all ‘large risks’ as defined in 

Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of 

the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and 

pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance 

(Solvency II) (

 1

 ).

 

SECTION 4

 

Jurisdiction over consumer contracts 

Article 17 

1.  In matters relating to a contract concluded by a person, 

the consumer, for a purpose which can be regarded as being 

outside his trade or profession, jurisdiction shall be determined 

by this Section, without prejudice to Article 6 and point 5 of 

Article 7, if: 

(a)  it is a contract for the sale of goods on instalment credit 

terms; 

(b) it is a contract for a loan repayable by instalments, or for 

any other form of credit, made to finance the sale of goods; 

or 

(c) in all other cases, the contract has been concluded with a 

person who pursues commercial or professional activities in 

the Member State of the consumer’s domicile or, by any 

means, directs such activities to that Member State or to 

several States including that Member State, and the contract 

falls within the scope of such activities. 

2.  Where a consumer enters into a contract with a party 

who is not domiciled in a Member State but has a branch, 

agency or other establishment in one of the Member States, 

that party shall, in disputes arising out of the operations of 

the branch, agency or establishment, be deemed to be 

domiciled in that Member State. 

3. This 

Section 

shall 

not 

apply 

to 

a 

contract 

of 

transport 

other than a contract which, for an inclusive price, provides 

for a combination of travel and accommodation. 

Article 18 

1. A 

consumer 

may 

bring 

proceedings 

against 

the 

other 

party to a contract either in the courts of the Member State 

in which that party is domiciled or, regardless of the domicile of 

the other party, in the courts for the place where the consumer 

is domiciled. 

2.  Proceedings may be brought against a consumer by the 

other party to the contract only in the courts of the Member 

State in which the consumer is domiciled. 

3. This 

Article 

shall 

not 

affect 

the 

right 

to 

bring 

a 

counter- 

claim in the court in which, in accordance with this Section, the 

original claim is pending.

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Article 19 

The provisions of this Section may be departed from only by an 

agreement: 

(1) which is entered into after the dispute has arisen; 

(2) which allows the consumer to bring proceedings in courts 

other than those indicated in this Section; or 

(3)  which is entered into by the consumer and the other party 

to the contract, both of whom are at the time of conclusion 

of the contract domiciled or habitually resident in the same 

Member State, and which confers jurisdiction on the courts 

of that Member State, provided that such an agreement is 

not contrary to the law of that Member State.

 

SECTION 5

 

Jurisdiction over individual contracts of employment 

Article 20 

1. In 

matters 

relating 

to 

individual 

contracts 

of 

employment, 

jurisdiction shall be determined by this Section, without 

prejudice to Article 6, point 5 of Article 7 and, in the case 

of proceedings brought against an employer, point 1 of 

Article 8. 

2. Where 

an 

employee 

enters 

into 

an 

individual 

contract 

of 

employment with an employer who is not domiciled in a 

Member State but has a branch, agency or other establishment 

in one of the Member States, the employer shall, in disputes 

arising out of the operations of the branch, agency or estab­

lishment, be deemed to be domiciled in that Member State. 

Article 21 

1. An 

employer 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State 

may 

be 

sued: 

(a) in the courts of the Member State in which he is domiciled; 

or 

(b) in another Member State: 

(i) in the courts for the place where or from where the 

employee habitually carries out his work or in the 

courts for the last place where he did so; or 

(ii)  if the employee does not or did not habitually carry out 

his work in any one country, in the courts for the place 

where the business which engaged the employee is or 

was situated. 

2. An 

employer 

not 

domiciled 

in 

a 

Member 

State 

may 

be 

sued in a court of a Member State in accordance with point (b) 

of paragraph 1. 

Article 22 

1. An 

employer 

may 

bring 

proceedings 

only 

in 

the 

courts 

of 

the Member State in which the employee is domiciled. 

2. The 

provisions 

of 

this 

Section 

shall 

not 

affect 

the 

right 

to 

bring a counter-claim in the court in which, in accordance with 

this Section, the original claim is pending. 

Article 23 

The provisions of this Section may be departed from only by an 

agreement: 

(1) which is entered into after the dispute has arisen; or 

(2) which allows the employee to bring proceedings in courts 

other than those indicated in this Section.

 

SECTION 6

 

Exclusive jurisdiction 

Article 24 

The following courts of a Member State shall have exclusive 

jurisdiction, regardless of the domicile of the parties: 

(1) in proceedings which have as their object rights in rem in 

immovable property or tenancies of immovable property, 

the courts of the Member State in which the property is 

situated. 

However, in proceedings which have as their object 

tenancies of immovable property concluded for temporary 

private use for a maximum period of six consecutive 

months, the courts of the Member State in which the 

defendant is domiciled shall also have jurisdiction, 

provided that the tenant is a natural person and that the 

landlord and the tenant are domiciled in the same Member 

State; 

(2) in proceedings which have as their object the validity of the 

constitution, the nullity or the dissolution of companies or 

other legal persons or associations of natural or legal 

persons, or the validity of the decisions of their organs, 

the courts of the Member State in which the company, 

legal person or association has its seat. In order to 

determine that seat, the court shall apply its rules of 

private international law; 

(3) in proceedings which have as their object the validity of 

entries in public registers, the courts of the Member State 

in which the register is kept;

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(4) in proceedings concerned with the registration or validity of 

patents, trade marks, designs, or other similar rights 

required to be deposited or registered, irrespective of 

whether the issue is raised by way of an action or as a 

defence, the courts of the Member State in which the 

deposit or registration has been applied for, has taken 

place or is under the terms of an instrument of the 

Union or an international convention deemed to have 

taken place. 

Without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the European Patent 

Office under the Convention on the Grant of European 

Patents, signed at Munich on 5 October 1973, the courts 

of each Member State shall have exclusive jurisdiction in 

proceedings concerned with the registration or validity of 

any European patent granted for that Member State; 

(5) in proceedings concerned with the enforcement of judg­

ments, the courts of the Member State in which the 

judgment has been or is to be enforced.

 

SECTION 7

 

Prorogation of jurisdiction 

Article 25 

1. If 

the 

parties, 

regardless 

of 

their 

domicile, 

have 

agreed 

that 

a court or the courts of a Member State are to have jurisdiction 

to settle any disputes which have arisen or which may arise in 

connection with a particular legal relationship, that court or 

those courts shall have jurisdiction, unless the agreement is 

null and void as to its substantive validity under the law of 

that Member State. Such jurisdiction shall be exclusive unless 

the parties have agreed otherwise. The agreement conferring 

jurisdiction shall be either: 

(a)  in writing or evidenced in writing; 

(b) in a form which accords with practices which the parties 

have established between themselves; or 

(c) in international trade or commerce, in a form which 

accords with a usage of which the parties are or ought to 

have been aware and which in such trade or commerce is 

widely known to, and regularly observed by, parties to 

contracts of the type involved in the particular trade or 

commerce concerned. 

2. Any 

communication 

by 

electronic 

means 

which 

provides 

a durable record of the agreement shall be equivalent to 

‘writing’. 

3. The 

court 

or 

courts 

of 

a 

Member 

State 

on 

which 

a 

trust instrument has conferred jurisdiction shall have exclusive 

jurisdiction in any proceedings brought against a settlor, trustee 

or beneficiary, if relations between those persons or their rights 

or obligations under the trust are involved. 

4. Agreements 

or 

provisions 

of 

a 

trust 

instrument 

conferring 

jurisdiction shall have no legal force if they are contrary to 

Articles 15, 19 or 23, or if the courts whose jurisdiction they 

purport to exclude have exclusive jurisdiction by virtue of 

Article 24. 

5. An 

agreement 

conferring 

jurisdiction 

which 

forms 

part 

of 

a contract shall be treated as an agreement independent of the 

other terms of the contract. 

The validity of the agreement conferring jurisdiction cannot be 

contested solely on the ground that the contract is not valid. 

Article 26 

1.  Apart from jurisdiction derived from other provisions of 

this Regulation, a court of a Member State before which a 

defendant enters an appearance shall have jurisdiction. This 

rule shall not apply where appearance was entered to contest 

the jurisdiction, or where another court has exclusive juris­

diction by virtue of Article 24. 

2.  In matters referred to in Sections 3, 4 or 5 where the 

policyholder, the insured, a beneficiary of the insurance 

contract, the injured party, the consumer or the employee is 

the defendant, the court shall, before assuming jurisdiction 

under paragraph 1, ensure that the defendant is informed of 

his right to contest the jurisdiction of the court and of the 

consequences of entering or not entering an appearance.

 

SECTION 8

 

Examination as to jurisdiction and admissibility 

Article 27 

Where a court of a Member State is seised of a claim which is 

principally concerned with a matter over which the courts of 

another Member State have exclusive jurisdiction by virtue of 

Article 24, it shall declare of its own motion that it has no 

jurisdiction. 

Article 28 

1. Where 

a 

defendant 

domiciled 

in 

one 

Member 

State 

is 

sued 

in a court of another Member State and does not enter an 

appearance, the court shall declare of its own motion that it 

has no jurisdiction unless its jurisdiction is derived from the 

provisions of this Regulation.

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2. The 

court 

shall 

stay 

the 

proceedings 

so 

long 

as 

it 

is 

not 

shown that the defendant has been able to receive the 

document instituting the proceedings or an equivalent 

document in sufficient time to enable him to arrange for his 

defence, or that all necessary steps have been taken to this end. 

3.  Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 of the 

European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 

2007 on the service in the Member States of judicial and extra­

judicial documents in civil or commercial matters (service of 

documents) (

 1

 ) shall apply instead of paragraph 2 of this 

Article if the document instituting the proceedings or an 

equivalent document had to be transmitted from one Member 

State to another pursuant to that Regulation. 

4. Where 

Regulation 

(EC) 

No 

1393/2007 

is 

not 

applicable, 

Article 15 of the Hague Convention of 15 November 1965 on 

the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in 

Civil or Commercial Matters shall apply if the document insti­

tuting the proceedings or an equivalent document had to be 

transmitted abroad pursuant to that Convention.

 

SECTION 9

 

Lis pendens — related actions 

Article 29 

1. Without 

prejudice 

to 

Article 

31(2), 

where 

proceedings 

involving the same cause of action and between the same 

parties are brought in the courts of different Member States, 

any court other than the court first seised shall of its own 

motion stay its proceedings until such time as the jurisdiction 

of the court first seised is established. 

2. In 

cases 

referred 

to 

in 

paragraph 

1, 

upon 

request 

by 

a 

court seised of the dispute, any other court seised shall without 

delay inform the former court of the date when it was seised in 

accordance with Article 32. 

3.  Where the jurisdiction of the court first seised is estab­

lished, any court other than the court first seised shall decline 

jurisdiction in favour of that court. 

Article 30 

1. Where 

related 

actions 

are 

pending 

in 

the 

courts 

of 

different Member States, any court other than the court first 

seised may stay its proceedings. 

2.  Where the action in the court first seised is pending at 

first instance, any other court may also, on the application of 

one of the parties, decline jurisdiction if the court first seised 

has jurisdiction over the actions in question and its law permits 

the consolidation thereof. 

3. For 

the 

purposes 

of 

this 

Article, 

actions 

are 

deemed 

to 

be 

related where they are so closely connected that it is expedient 

to hear and determine them together to avoid the risk of irrec­

oncilable judgments resulting from separate proceedings. 

Article 31 

1. Where 

actions 

come 

within 

the 

exclusive 

jurisdiction 

of 

several courts, any court other than the court first seised shall 

decline jurisdiction in favour of that court. 

2. Without 

prejudice 

to 

Article 

26, 

where 

a 

court 

of 

a 

Member State on which an agreement as referred to in 

Article 25 confers exclusive jurisdiction is seised, any court of 

another Member State shall stay the proceedings until such time 

as the court seised on the basis of the agreement declares that it 

has no jurisdiction under the agreement. 

3.  Where the court designated in the agreement has estab­

lished jurisdiction in accordance with the agreement, any court 

of another Member State shall decline jurisdiction in favour of 

that court. 

4.  Paragraphs 2 and 3 shall not apply to matters referred to 

in Sections 3, 4 or 5 where the policyholder, the insured, a 

beneficiary of the insurance contract, the injured party, the 

consumer or the employee is the claimant and the agreement 

is not valid under a provision contained within those Sections. 

Article 32 

1. For 

the 

purposes 

of 

this 

Section, 

a 

court 

shall 

be 

deemed 

to be seised: 

(a)  at the time when the document instituting the proceedings 

or an equivalent document is lodged with the court, 

provided that the claimant has not subsequently failed to 

take the steps he was required to take to have service 

effected on the defendant; or 

(b) if the document has to be served before being lodged with 

the court, at the time when it is received by the authority 

responsible for service, provided that the claimant has not 

subsequently failed to take the steps he was required to take 

to have the document lodged with the court. 

The authority responsible for service referred to in point (b) 

shall be the first authority receiving the documents to be served.

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 1

 ) OJ L 324, 10.12.2007, p. 79.

2. The 

court, 

or 

the 

authority 

responsible 

for 

service, 

referred 

to in paragraph 1, shall note, respectively, the date of the 

lodging of the document instituting the proceedings or the 

equivalent document, or the date of receipt of the documents 

to be served. 

Article 33 

1.  Where jurisdiction is based on Article 4 or on Articles 7, 

8 or 9 and proceedings are pending before a court of a third 

State at the time when a court in a Member State is seised of an 

action involving the same cause of action and between the same 

parties as the proceedings in the court of the third State, the 

court of the Member State may stay the proceedings if: 

(a)  it is expected that the court of the third State will give a 

judgment capable of recognition and, where applicable, of 

enforcement in that Member State; and 

(b) the court of the Member State is satisfied that a stay is 

necessary for the proper administration of justice. 

2. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

may 

continue 

the 

proceedings at any time if: 

(a) the proceedings in the court of the third State are them­

selves stayed or discontinued; 

(b) it appears to the court of the Member State that the 

proceedings in the court of the third State are unlikely to 

be concluded within a reasonable time; or 

(c) the continuation of the proceedings is required for the 

proper administration of justice. 

3. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

shall 

dismiss 

the 

proceedings if the proceedings in the court of the third State 

are concluded and have resulted in a judgment capable of 

recognition and, where applicable, of enforcement in that 

Member State. 

4. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

shall 

apply 

this 

Article 

on 

the application of one of the parties or, where possible under 

national law, of its own motion. 

Article 34 

1.  Where jurisdiction is based on Article 4 or on Articles 7, 

8 or 9 and an action is pending before a court of a third State 

at the time when a court in a Member State is seised of an 

action which is related to the action in the court of the third 

State, the court of the Member State may stay the proceedings 

if: 

(a) it is expedient to hear and determine the related actions 

together to avoid the risk of irreconcilable judgments 

resulting from separate proceedings; 

(b) it is expected that the court of the third State will give a 

judgment capable of recognition and, where applicable, of 

enforcement in that Member State; and 

(c) the court of the Member State is satisfied that a stay is 

necessary for the proper administration of justice. 

2. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

may 

continue 

the 

proceedings at any time if: 

(a)  it appears to the court of the Member State that there is no 

longer a risk of irreconcilable judgments; 

(b) the proceedings in the court of the third State are them­

selves stayed or discontinued; 

(c) it appears to the court of the Member State that the 

proceedings in the court of the third State are unlikely to 

be concluded within a reasonable time; or 

(d) the continuation of the proceedings is required for the 

proper administration of justice. 

3. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

may 

dismiss 

the 

proceedings if the proceedings in the court of the third State 

are concluded and have resulted in a judgment capable of 

recognition and, where applicable, of enforcement in that 

Member State. 

4. The 

court 

of 

the 

Member 

State 

shall 

apply 

this 

Article 

on 

the application of one of the parties or, where possible under 

national law, of its own motion.

 

SECTION 10

 

Provisional, including protective, measures 

Article 35 

Application may be made to the courts of a Member State for 

such provisional, including protective, measures as may be 

available under the law of that Member State, even if the 

courts of another Member State have jurisdiction as to the 

substance of the matter.

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CHAPTER III