Abstracts
Abstract
This paper seeks to address the question of the need for revising the existing EU policy in the field of family mediation. The author argues there is a necessity for a single EU methodology for managing national and cross-border family disputes through their referral to mediation, which will serve as the basis for the revision of the EU policy in the field of family mediation and will trigger a discussion for the adoption of a new Directive on the subject. This is grounded in the increase in divorce rates in the EU according to the European Parliament, the growing mobility of spouses and the spread of cross- cultural families, all of which lead to a rising number of family disputes occasionally caught between various jurisdictions and applicable laws. Possible revisions aim to set up a unified modus operandi through which national and transnational family disputes are managed across the EU through their referral to mediation, to propose clear guidelines for child inclusion in the mediation process following the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), to establish standards for mandatory family mediation for those countries who opt-in for such a model and the professional qualifications for EU family mediators. Such an idea is ambitious in its pursuit to set unified standards on the manner through which family mediation is practiced in the EU, how children are integrated as part of the process, and what unified requirements apply to EU family mediators. The author suggests that the ultimate impact of the above would be to open the discussion for EU policymakers to consider setting up a uniform methodology for family mediation, outlining the specific processes for mandatory family mediation for Member States opting-in in a model and revising the EU mediation policy in the field of family justice.
Keywords:
- Family conflict,
- Family mediation,
- Mandatory mediation,
- EU legal framework on mediation
Résumé
Cet article cherche à répondre à la question de la nécessité de réviser la politique européenne existante dans le domaine de la médiation familiale. L’autrice soutient qu’il est nécessaire d’avoir une méthodologie européenne unique pour gérer les conflits familiaux nationaux et transfrontaliers à travers leur renvoi à la médiation, qui servira de base à la révision de la politique européenne dans le domaine de la médiation familiale et déclenchera une discussion en vue de l’adoption d’une nouvelle directive sur le sujet. Cela s’explique par l’augmentation des taux de divorce dans l’UE selon le Parlement européen, la mobilité croissante des conjoints et la propagation des familles interculturelles, qui conduisent tous à un nombre croissant de conflits familiaux parfois pris entre diverses juridictions et lois applicables. Les révisions possibles visent à établir un modus operandi unifié par lequel les conflits familiaux nationaux et transnationaux sont gérés dans toute l’UE par le biais de leur renvoi à la médiation, à proposer des lignes directrices claires pour l’inclusion des enfants dans le processus de médiation conformément aux exigences de la Convention relative aux droits de l’homme. Child (1989), visant à établir des normes pour la médiation familiale obligatoire pour les pays qui optent pour un tel modèle et les qualifications professionnelles des médiateurs familiaux de l’UE. Une telle idée est ambitieuse dans la mesure où elle vise à établir des normes unifiées sur la manière dont la médiation familiale est pratiquée dans l’UE, sur la manière dont les enfants sont intégrés dans le processus et sur les exigences unifiées qui s’appliquent aux médiateurs familiaux de l’UE. L’auteur suggère que l’impact ultime de ce qui précède serait d’ouvrir le débat pour que les décideurs politiques de l’UE envisagent de mettre en place une méthodologie uniforme pour la médiation familiale, décrivant les processus spécifiques de médiation familiale obligatoire pour les États membres qui adhèrent à un modèle et révisent le modèle. Politique de médiation de l’UE dans le domaine de la justice familiale.
Mots-clés :
- Conflit familial,
- Médiation familiale,
- Médiation obligatoire,
- Cadre juridique de l’UE sur la médiation
Appendices
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