30.6.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 160/19 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 13472000 of 29 May 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility for children of both spouses THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Article 61(c) and Article 67(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas: (1) () ) ) The Member States have set themselves the objective of maintaining and developing the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice, in which the free movement of persons is assured. To establish such an area, the Community is to adopt, among others, the measures in the field of judicial cooperation in civil matters needed for the proper functioning of the internal market. The proper functioning of the internal market entails the need to improve and simplify the free movement of judgments in civil matters. This is a subject now falling within the ambit of Article 65 of the Treaty. Differences between certain national rules governing jurisdiction and enforcement hamper the free movement of persons and the sound operation of the internal market. There are accordingly grounds for enacting provisions to unify the rules of conflict of jurisdiction in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsi- bility so as to simplify the formalities for rapid and automatic recognition and enforcement of judgments. 0J C247,31.8.1999, p. 1. Opinion delivered on 17 November 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). 0] C 368,20.12.1999, p. 23. (5) ) In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty, the objectives of this Regulation cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved by the Community. This Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives. The Council, by an Act (%) dated 28 May 1998, drew up a Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and recommended it for adoption by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional rules. Continuity in the results of the negotiations for con- clusion of the Convention should be ensured. The content of this Regulation is substantially taken over from the Convention, but this Regulation contains a number of new provisions not in the Convention in order to secure consistency with certain provisions of the proposed regulation on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial mat- ters. In order to attain the objective of free movement of judgments in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility within the Community, it is necess- ary and appropriate that the cross-border recognition of jurisdiction and judgments in relation to the dissolution of matrimonial ties and to parental responsibility for the children of both spouses be governed by a mandatory, and directly applicable, Community legal instrument. The measures laid down in this Regulation should be consistent and uniform, to enable people to move as widely as possible. Accordingly, it should also apply to nationals of non-member States whose links with the territory of a Member State are sufficiently close, in keeping with the grounds of jurisdiction laid down in the Regulation. 0] C 221, 16.7.1998; p. 1. On the same day as the Convention was drawn up, the Council took note of the explanatory report to the Convention, as prepared by Prof. Alegria Borras. This explanatory report is set out on page 27 of the aforementioned Official Journal.