Law to give extra protection to parental custody

EU legislation coming into force on August 1 will provide greater protection to a parent who has been granted custody of children who are abducted by their former partner or family members.

Family law expert Geoffrey Shannon said the regulations would give an additional safeguard for EU citizens to the Hague Convention, the main international framework for deciding custody cases between states.

Under the 1980 UN convention, custody cases are generally decided by the jurisdiction in which the child is habitually resident.