A new EU regulation that is commonly referred to as Brussels IV will introduce significant changes to European inheritance law. Under the new regulations that went into effect on August 17, individuals will be able to choose which countries estate laws they want to have applied to their whole estate. This is important because estate laws vary greatly amongst the different EU member states. Some countries have ‘forced heirship’ rules that require decedents to leave a portion of their estate to a spouse or direct descendants regardless of what they have written in their will. The new regulations will be binding on all but three EU member states, with the three opt out countries being the UK, Ireland, and Denmark.
See Catherine Robson, What Brussels IV means for wills and inheritance in Europe, Spear’s, August 26, 2015.
