Press Release: European Commission welcomes multilingual website on successions to keep citizens informed on national laws

Free movement is a core right of European Union citizens. About 9 million Europeans are taking advantage of this right by living outside their home countries. There are about 450,000 international successions each year in the EU, representing more than €120 billion. As owners of properties – houses and bank accounts – families are confronted with different rules on jurisdiction and applicable law in the 27 EU Member States. For example, if a British citizen with a house in southern France dies, would French or UK succession law apply to his property? To help citizens become better informed about these laws, the Council of the Notariats of the EU, with the support of the European Commission, launched a website on 28 June 2010 (see Related url) in 22 EU languages plus Croatian. The Commission welcomes this valuable tool for citizens.

Website: Successions in Europe http://www.successions-europe.eu/

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