Information concerning jurisdiction issues in cross-border cases

It may happen that both parties to a dispute initiate court proceedings on the same matter in different Member States. European Union (EU) law determines which courts of which Member States should hear the case, to avoid conflicting decisions. The general rule is that a person should be sued in the State where s/he is domiciled. Furthermore, other jurisdictional rules may be invoked as alternative in specific cases, for example, the person failing in performance of the contract can be sued at the place of performance of the obligation in question (e.g., in the place where the purchased goods should have been delivered). Special rules exist to protect groups such as consumers, workers and insured persons. In family law, EU rules exist to determine where a dispute relating to divorce, parental responsibility or maintenance should be heard.