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The United Kingdom has consistently supported the valuable work of the Hague Conference, a long established international organisation whose purpose is to work to unify the rules of private international law.
Under the Conference’s original statute only states were entitled to become parties to it. This did not cause any significant problems in practice or affect the position of the European Community itself in negotiations under Community law. However, the adoption of measures of Community law in the area of private international law led to increased co-operation between the member states of the Community in relation to the work of the Conference. The exclusion of the Community as a formal party to the Conference was therefore becoming increasingly anomalous.
In the light of these considerations and the desirability of supporting the full and constructive participation of the Community in the work of the Conference, the Government decided the United Kingdom should opt in under our Protocol on Title IV measures to a proposal that the Community should support amendments to the statute allowing the Community to become a party to the Conference. A package of amendments to give effect to this proposal has now been ratified by the necessary two-thirds majority of the state parties to the Conference, including the United Kingdom.