Global Witness in collaboration with Leigh Day & Co and six other organisations submitted a briefing paper to the European Commission, prompted by the UK Government’s recommendations about the review of the Brussels I Regulation. The Regulation determines the jurisdiction in international legal disputes where at least one of the parties is resident in the European Union. The Government suggests that a mechanism should be introduced into the Regulation to enable court proceedings to be transferred to the courts of third countries, even if the proceedings have been duly and properly started within a Member State and even if the defendant is domiciled in that Member State. In the opinion of the submitting organisations, this amendment would have a seriously negative impact on the ability of overseas human rights victims to obtain access to justice in the European Union against multinationals domiciled in the European Union.
Briefing Document / Jan. 25, 2010