The Brussels I - Regulation (EC) No 44/2001: The Heidelberg Report on the Application of Regulation Brussels I in 25 Member States (Study JLS/C4/2005/03)

On March 1, 2003, the Brussels I-Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22nd December 2001 on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgements in Civil and Commercial Matters (Judgment Regulation) became the cornerstone of European civil procedural law. The Regulation is directly applicable in all Member States and forms the residual instrument in cross-border civil procedures in the European Union. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the application of the Regulation in the Member States, based on interviews, statistics, and practical research in the files of the national courts. The report concludes that the Regulation does not require fundamental amendment, but that several improvements should be considered, especially with regard to the general function of the Regulation as the residual instrument of European procedural law.