Conference in Milan on the Future EU Regulation on the Protection of Adults
Two years have passed since the European Commission published two proposals on the protection of adults in international situations, namely a proposal for a Council Decision that would authorise all EU Member States to become parties of the Hague Convention of 13 January 2000 on the international protection of adults “in the interest of the European Union”, and a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council that would complement the Convention in the relations between the Member States.
The latter proposal has been extensively discussed within the Council of the European Union. An agreement for a partial general approach has been reached in this context in late May 2025 on the provisions in Chapters I to V, regarding respectively the scope of the future Regulation and the rules on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of measures of protection and authentic instruments.
The Presidency of the Council expressed the view that the text resulting from the agreed general approach “is stable and represents a finely balanced compromise reflecting the wide range of positions by Member States”, while noting that “more time is needed to explore the rest of the text further”, in particular concerning the establishment and interconnection of registers of powers of representation and cooperation in the event of the placement of an adult in an establishment or other place where protection can be provided, in another Member State.
Some Member States, including Spain, Estonia (with a corrigendum), and Malta, have since made public their opinion on the topics under discussion.
A conference will take place in Milan, at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, on 17 and 18 September 2025 to discuss the two Commission’s proposals and the developments that followed their publication.
The programme, which will be available soon, will feature, inter alia, presentations by Giacomo Biagioni, University of Cagliari; Patrizia De Luca (TBC), Senior Expert at the European Commission; Giovanni Freise, University of Hamburg; Cristina Gonzalez Beilfuss, University of Barcelona; Jan von Hein, University of Freiburg; Katja Karjalainen, University of Lapland; Thalia Kruger, University of Antwerp; Philippe Lortie, First Secretary of the Hague Conference on Private International Law; Francesca Maoli, University of Genova; Paolo Pasqualis, Notary; Geraldo Rocha Ribeiro, University of Coimbra; Rieneke Stelma-Roorda, VU Amsterdam; Chloé Terraube, Ministry of Justice of France
The working language will be English. Attendance is free and can be either in person or on-line. Prior registration, however, is required here.