a) a document authorising the central authority of the State addressed to act on behalf of the applicant or to designate another representative for that purpose;
b) a copy of the decision which satisfies the necessary conditions of authenticity;
c) in the case of a decision given in the absence of the defendant or his legal representative, a document which establishes that the defendant was duly served with the document which instituted the proceedings or an equivalent document;
d) if applicable, any document which establishes that, in accordance with the law of the State of origin, the decision is enforceable;
e) if possible, a statement indicating the whereabouts or likely whereabouts of the child in the State addressed;
f) proposals as to how the custody of the child should be restored.
(2) The documents mentioned above shall, where necessary, be accompanied by a translation according to the provisions laid down in Article 6.
Article 14
Each Contracting State shall apply a simple and expeditious procedure for recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to the custody of a child. To that end it shall ensure that a request for enforcement may be lodged by simple application.
Article 15
(1) Before reaching a decision under paragraph l.b of Article 10, the authority concerned in the State addressed:
a) shall ascertain the child’s views unless this is impracticable having regard in particular to his age and understanding; and
b) may request that any appropriate enquiries be carried out.
(2) The cost of enquiries in any Contracting State shall be met by the authorities of the State where they are carried out.
(3) Request for enquiries and the results of enquiries may be sent to the authority concerned through the central authorities.
Article 16
For the purposes of this Convention, no legalisation or any like formality may be required.
Part IV
Reservations
Article 17
(1) A Contracting State may make a reservation that, in cases covered by Articles 8 and 9 or either of these Articles, recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to custody may be refused on such of the grounds provided under Article 10 as may be specified in the reservation.
(2) Recognition and enforcement of decisions given in a Contracting State which has made the reservation provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article may be refused in any other Contracting State on any of the additional grounds referred to in that reservation.
Article 18
A Contracting State may make a reservation that it shall not be bound by the provisions of Article 12. The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to decisions referred to in Article 12 which have been given in a Contracting State which has made such a reservation.
Part V
Other instruments
Article 19
This Convention shall not exclude the possibility of relying on any other international instrument in force between the State of origin and the State addressed or on any other law of the State addressed not derived from an international agreement for the purpose of obtaining recognition or enforcement of a decision.
Article 20
(1) This Convention shall not affect any obligations which a Contracting State may have towards a non-Contracting State under an international instrument dealing with matters governed by this Convention.
(2) When two or more Contracting States have enacted uniform laws in relation to custody of children or created a special system of recognition or enforcement of decisions in this field, or if they should do so in the future, they shall be free to apply, between themselves, those laws or that system in place of this Convention or any part of it. In order to avail themselves of this provision the State shall notify their decision to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Any alteration or revocation of this decision must also be notified.
Part VI
Final clauses
Article 21
This Convention shall be open for signature by the member States of the Council of Europe. It is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Article 22
(1) This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which three member States of the Council of Europe have expressed their consent to be bound by the Convention in accordance with the provisions of Article 21.
(2) In respect of any member State which subsequently expresses its consent to be bound by it, the Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of the deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.
Article 23
(1) After the entry into force of this Convention, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may invite any State not a member of the Council to accede to this Convention, by a decision taken by the majority provided for by Article 20.d of the Statute and by the unanimous vote of the representatives of the Contracting States entitled to sit on the Committee.
(2) In respect of any acceding State, the Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of deposit of the instrument of accession with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Article 24
(1) Any State may at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, specify the territory or territories to which this Convention shall apply.
(2) Any State may at any later date, by a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, extend the application of this Convention to any other territory specified in the declaration. In respect of such territory, the Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of receipt by the Secretary General of such declaration.
(3) Any declaration made under the two preceding paragraphs may, in respect of any territory specified in such declaration, be withdrawn by a notification addressed to the Secretary General. The withdrawal shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of six months after the date of receipt of such notification by the Secretary General.
Article 25
(1) A State which has two or more territorial units in which different systems of law apply in matters of custody of children and of recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to custody may, at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, declare that this Convention shall apply to all its territorial units or to one or more of them.
(2) Such a State may at any later date, by a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, extend the application of this Convention to any other territorial unit specified in the declaration. In respect of such territorial unit the Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of receipt by the Secretary General of such declaration.
(3) Any declaration made under the two preceding paragraphs may, in respect of any territorial unit specified in such declaration, be withdrawn by notification addressed to the Secretary General. The withdrawal shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of six months after the date of receipt of such notification by the Secretary General.
Article 26
(1) In relation to a State which has in matters of custody two or more systems of law of territorial application:
a) reference to the law of a person’s habitual residence or to the law of a person’s nationality shall be construed as referring to the system of law determined by the rules in force in that State or, if there are no such rules, to the system of law with which the person concerned is most closely connected;
b) reference to the State of origin or to the State addressed shall be construed as referring, as the case may, be to the territorial unit where recognition or enforcement of the decision or restoration of custody is requested.
(2) Paragraph La of this Article also applies mutatis mutandis to States which have in matters of custody two or more systems of law of personal application.
Article 27
(1) Any State may, at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, declare that it avails itself of one or more of the reservations provided for in paragraph 3 of Article 6, Article 17 and Article 18 of this Convention. No other reservation may be made.
(2) Any Contracting State which has made a reservation under the preceding paragraph may wholly or partly withdraw it by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The withdrawal shall take effect on the date of receipt of such notification by the Secretary General.
Article 28
At the end of the third year following the date of the entry into force of this Convention and, on his own initiative, at any time after this date, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall invite the representatives of the central authorities appointed by the Contracting States to meet in order to study and to facilitate the functioning of the Convention. Any member State of the Council of Europe not being a party to the Convention may be represented by an observer. A report shall be prepared on the work of each of these meetings and forwarded to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for information.
Article 29
(1) Any Party may at any time denounce this Convention by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
(2) Such denunciation shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of six months after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary General.
Article 30
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify the member States of the Council and any State which has acceded to this Convention, of:
a) any signature;
b) the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;
c) any date of entry into force of this Convention in accordance with Articles 22, 23, 24 and 25;
d) any other act, notification or communication relating to this Convention.
In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Convention.
Done at Luxembourg, the 20th day of May 1980, in English and French, both texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Council of Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit certified copies to each member State of the Council of Europe and to any State invited to accede to this Convention.
Egyezmény
a gyermekek feletti felügyeleti jogot érintő határozatok elismeréséről és végrehajtásáról, valamint a felügyeleti viszonyok helyreállításáról
Az Európa Tanács azon tagállamai, amelyek jelen Egyezményt aláírták,
felismervén azt, hogy az Európa Tanács tagállamaiban a felügyeleti jogot érintő határozatok meghozatalánál a gyermek java meghatározó jelentőséggel bír,
meggyőződvén arról, hogy a gyermekek feletti felügyeleti jogot érintő határozatok elismerését és végrehajtását megkönnyítő szabályok bevezetése a gyermekek javának fokozottabb védelmét biztosítja,
abból a megfontolásból kiindulva, hogy erre tekintettel kívánatos annak nyomatékosítása, hogy a szülők gyermekkel történő személyes kapcsolattartása a felügyeleti jog természetes velejárója,
tekintetbe véve azon esetek növekvő számát, amikor a gyermeket meg nem engedett módon viszik valamely nemzetközi határon túlra, és megfelelő módon megoldandó az ennek során felmerülő nehézségeket, problémákat,
attól az óhajtól vezérelve, hogy megfelelő intézkedéseket tegyenek, amelyek lehetővé teszik az önkényes módon megszakított felügyeleti viszonyok helyreállítását,
meggyőződvén arról, hogy e célból kívánatos a különböző szükségleteknek és az eltérő körülményeknek megfelelő szabályok meghozatala,
attól az óhajtól vezérelve, hogy a hatóságaik közötti együttműködést jogi téren bővítsék,
az alábbiakban állapodtak meg:
1. Cikk
Jelen Egyezmény alkalmazásában
a) gyermek: állampolgárságára tekintet nélkül az a személy, aki 16. életévét még nem töltötte be, és a szokásos tartózkodási helye szerinti jog, az állampolgársága szerinti állam joga vagy a megkeresett állam belső joga szerint még nem jogosult arra, hogy tartózkodási helyét maga határozza meg;
b) hatóság: bíróság vagy közigazgatási hatóság;
c) felügyeleti jogot érintő határozat: valamely hatóság határozata, amennyiben az érinti a gyermek személye feletti felügyeletet, ideértve a tartózkodási helyének meghatározására irányuló jogot vagy a vele történő személyes kapcsolattartás jogát;
d) meg nem engedett elvitel: a gyermek valamely nemzetközi határon túlra történő elvitele, amennyiben ez a felügyeleti jogot érintő olyan határozatba ütközik, amelyet valamely Szerződő Államban hoztak, és valamely ilyen államban végrehajtható; meg nem engedett elvitelnek minősül az az eset is, amikor
(i) a gyermeket a látogatási idő vagy valamely, a felügyeleti jog gyakorlásának helyétől eltérő államterületen való más átmeneti jellegű tartózkodás elteltével nem viszik vissza a nemzetközi határon túlra,
(ii) az elvitelt a 12. Cikk értelmében utólag nyilvánítják jogellenesnek.
I. Rész
Központi Hatóságok
2. Cikk
(1) Minden Szerződő Állam kijelöli azon Központi Hatóságát, amely a jelen Egyezményben meghatározott feladatokat ellátja.
(2) Szövetségi államok, valamint olyan államok, amelyek több jogrendszerrel rendelkeznek, több Központi Hatóságot is kijelölhetnek; ebben az esetben meghatározzák azok illetékességét.
(3) Minden jelen cikk szerinti kijelölésről tájékoztatni kell az Európa Tanács főtitkárát.