Germany - Cross-Border Divorce | European Journal

While attempts to prop up the euro dominated the news, the EU has been engaged in other aspects of our daily lives. One in eight marriages in the EU today involves bi-national couples. When they end in divorce, things can get really messy. The European Union is planning to make things easier and fairer.Often when bi-national couples split, it can lead to an undignified contest between the two parties as they each seek to file the divorce in the jurisdiction most favorable to their interests. Men, for example, frequently choose the country with the lowest alimony and child support payments. Women and children end up paying the price in the end. The EU wants a standard Europe-wide procedure, but it’s not there yet. So far only eleven member states – including Germany - have signed up to it.