The Lithuanian Supreme Court held on 30 April 2013 that a Russian Federation judgment granting child custody, could not be recognised in Lithuania for reasons of Ordre Public. The 7-year-old child had not been heard (including on his opinion with whom of the parents he’ld prefer to live) either directly or indirectly in the underlying proceedings. Hearing the child, the Court held, was however prerequisite under international human (children’s) rights Conventions.
Recourse to Ordre Public is not common, as readers will be aware. The judgment therefore is quite significant (and correct in my view), particularly as the European Commission is currently trying to map its use across the Member States (within the EU or vis-a-vis relations with third States, such as here).
Thank you to Sigita Fomičiova for the tip-off and copy of the judgment.
Geert.
