Press Release: European Commission plans to ease legal burden for cross-border successions to become law

The Commission's proposal to simplify the settlement of international successions has received the final backing of the Council of Justice Ministers of the EU.

The European Commission proposals will ease the legal burden when a family member with property in another EU country passes away. Once published in the EU's Official Journal – which is expected to take place within weeks – Member States will have 3 years to align their national laws so that the new EU rules on succession become effective.