Conflict of laws

The Court of Appeal dismissed a father’s appeal against the mother’s successful appeal against recognition and enforcement of an order obtained in Romania regarding their child, who was habitually resident in England. It was both a welfare and fundamental principle whether a child was to be heard and the question to be determined by the court, by reference to the child’s age and understanding, was “whether and if so how was the child to be heard”. As the child in the present case had not been given an opportunity to be heard in the Romanian proceedings, the judge had been correct to refuse recognition and enforcement of its order pursuant to Art 23(b) of Council Regulation (EC) 2201/2003.