European Enforcement Proceedings

The enforcement of claims within the European Union (EU) has been greatly simplified by the directly applicable European Regulation No. 1215/2012 which, since 10 January 2015, has introduced the principle of direct recognition of a judgment pronounced in one EU Member State in the other Member States, without the need of further procedures.

The applicant simply needs to obtain a certificate issued by the court that pronounced the judgment to be enforced. Such a certificate confirms, inter alia, that the judgment is enforceable in the State where it was rendered. The certificate corresponds to a form annexed to the above-mentioned Regulation.

The applicant then reaches out to a bailiff, to whom he or she provides a copy of the judgment, which must meet the conditions necessary to prove its authenticity, and a certificate confirming the enforceability of the judgment.