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• The role of de facto separation in the divorce law of EU Member States

  41-56

  Edit Hadházi

  Views:

  110

  De facto separation (means spouses are living apart) as the most spectacular sign of the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage is a legally relevant fact in the (national) divorce law of the most European Union Member States. However, there are notable differences in the regulatory methods used and how much importance is attached to it. There are Member States where the quantity and quality of the separation is regulated at the legislative level, either as an explicit precondition for divorce or as a legal circumstance orienting the judge, and there are Member States where separation plays a role solely or mostly in the process of the application of the law. My hypothesis is that the fact of separation is such a common intersection of the divorce law of the EU Member States that the legal attitudes taken by them in this regard require a comparative analysis of the law. The aim of this paper is to examine that how the EU Member States incorporate the fact of separation into their divorce law, to classify the regulation methods ’from legislation to application', and to draw the final conclusions in a summary.

• Domestic partnerships on the basis of the current judicial practice and the draft version of the new Civil Code

  Alexandra Ács

  Views:

  47

  An examination of the statistical data reveals that the number of marriages concluded has significantly decreased in recent years, accompanied by an increase in divorce cases. In a parallel way, there is a growing number of domestic partnerships.[1]

  This study surveys the judicial practice of this field in the past two decades with the intention of attempting to describe and shed some light on the essence of domestic partnership in Hungary by way of discussing some of the most important cases and the relevant provisions of law. In view of the fact that preparation for the codification of the new Civil Code is now under way and new rules are expected to enter into force in 2 or 3 years, the changes anticipated in this area are also briefly addressed in the study. Since the Proposal intends to change the current legal provisions in three areas, special emphasis was laid on these, namely:

  1. Under certain conditions, as defined by law, alimony may be awarded to a formal domestic partner.

  2. Continued use of the place of residence earlier shared with the former domestic partner is possible also after the termination of the domestic partnership.

  3. A former domestic partner may request that the property relations be settled after the termination of the domestic partnership. 

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  [1] Domestic partnerships were first surveyed in Hungary in the 1970 census: the number of such relationships, which was 62 thousand in 1970, doubled by 1990, and increased by nearly four and half times by 2001. As a result of these developments, 74% of the 2,869,000 families counted were based on a married couple. Ten years before this proportion was still 80%, while three decades ago it was as high as 88%. (Népszámlálás [Census], Vol. 2001, no. 19. “Family types, family forms”, KSH, p. 17).

• Extracts from the regulations settling the tenure of the matrimonial home in Europe

  121-139

  Tamara Dóra Szücs

  Views:

  107

  The tenure of the matrimonial home after divorce is a significant question in several respects. In addition to the fact that both parties are likely to be emotionally attached to the former scene of family life, the wealth factor must be taken into account as well, as it is a valuable property that can be a real trump card for both spouses these days, considering the high property prices. It should also be borne in mind that if a spouse receives the formal matrimonial home, he or she will not be exposed to the inconvenience of finding a suitable home and will not have to leave his or her usual environment. It follows, however, that a spouse who is forced to move must be compensated in some way for these difficulties, even if he or she did not own the matrimonial home. This study intends to examine the regulation of European countries regarding the use of the marital home in the event of divorce, presenting the typical models and the main aspects considered. The purpose of the present work is not to analyse the Hungarian regulations, they are only mentioned for the aim of comparison. As a conclusion of this research, I would like to reveal the most ideal solution for settling the tenure of the matrimonial home in the event of a divorce, the pros and cons of each model, and if states really take family law principles into account.