The first training session in 2017, organised as a part of the project EU Judiciary Training on Brussels IIa Regulation: From South to East, headed “Brussels II bis: Jurisdiction in parental responsibility and child abduction cases” was held at the Faculty of Law University of Rijeka from 20 to 21 April 2017. Total of 38 participants attended the training, among which 19 judges, 13 attorneys at law, 5 members of the academia and 1 in-house lawyer. A special guest speaker was Vesna Tomljenović, Judge at the General Court of the European Union. Project members from all partner institutions participated as trainers: Costanza Honorati, Egle Kavoliunaite, Kristina Pranevičiene, Georgina Garriga Suau, Marta Tarragona Fenosa, Mirela Župan, Ivana Kunda, Sandra Winkler and Danijela Vrbljanac. Expert speakers in the session dedicated to hearing of the child were Danka Majić, Head of the Home for Raising Children and Youth Rijeka and Mirela Popović Brletić, Judge at the Municipal Court in Rijeka.
The seminar covered issues like interplay between applicable legal instruments, complexity of cases involving child abduction and effects on jurisdiction, proceedings for the return of the child, jurisdiction in parental responsibility, transfer of proceedings and hearing of the child. The seminar lasted for 3 hours, on 20 April 2017, from 16.00 to 19.00 and 9 hours on 21 April 2017, from 9.00 to 18.00. The participants were actively involved in all sessions, by taking part in lively discussions, posing questions to the trainers, describing their own experience in EU family law cross-border cases and solving hypothetical cases prepared by trainers. The feedback from the participants was very positive and they were disappointed to hear that the project will soon be completed.
