Conclusion of the fourth meeting of the Special Commission on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments

From 24 to 29 May 2018, the Special Commission on the Judgments Project met in The Hague. The Special Commission was attended by 167 participants from 55 Member States and one Member Regional Economic Integration Organisation (“REIO”). Also in attendance, as observers, were two non-Member States, and 11 international governmental and non-governmental organisations. The Special Commission continued its work on preparing a draft Convention on the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil or commercial matters. During the meeting, the Special Commission discussed the work of a number of informal working groups established to carry out intersessional work in preparation for the Special Commission meeting, as well as a number of additional issues. Based on these discussions, the Special Commission prepared a revised draft of the Convention (2018 draft Convention). The 2018 draft Convention will be presented to the Council on General Affairs and Policy at its March 2019 meeting and the Special Commission will report to the Council that it considers that it has completed its mandate and that, as contemplated by the Council, work on the draft Convention has reached the point where a Diplomatic Session can be convened in mid-2019.