Constraints of internal market law on family law

What international family law is ‘necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market’? An in-depth analysis of international family law within the European Union from a multidisciplinary approach was needed to tackle this central theme. Articles 61c and 65 of the EC Treaty expressly place civil judicial cooperation in the perspective of the proper functioning of the internal market and thus appear to grant it a distinct ‘economic’ flavour. Still, the link between civil cooperation and, a fortiori, family law on the one hand and economic integration on the other hand, is not self-evident. A key question today is to what extent and according to what framework the European legislator can and should act in the field of international family law. This book provides clear answers to that crucial question.