Divorce laws may be introduced in Malta

A new European Commission proposal on divorce for members of the European Union may be valid in Malta, the only EU member state where divorce is not allowed.

Negotiations are currently taking place between EU member states over the regulations, headed by the EU German presidency, which would allow other country's laws to be applicable in cases of divorce between EU citizens of different nationalities, the Times of Malta reports.

While divorce is not allowed in Malta, the country does recognise divorce decrees by foreign courts, and the new guidelines state that the proposal will not impose divorce on any member state "which does not know such an institution".

A spokesperson for the German government commented: "These guidelines are for internal consumption and we cannot divulge their contents. I can confirm, however, that Malta had a meeting with the presidency over this issue.

"There was also a preliminary discussion at ambassadorial level with all the other member states. Substantial progress was registered, but we will now have to wait and see how this progress is eventually translated in the actual drafting process of this new regulation."