The EU Succession Regulations
By Spectrum IFA
This article is published on: 20th July 2015
What a month it has been since I wrote my last article. The Greek crisis has waxed and waned and as the prospect of increases in UK interest rates comes closer, now the Sterling Euro exchange rate has hit new highs. All of this while the temperatures continue to soar in France and the effects of the canicule are felt!
August is almost upon us and this means that the long-awaited EU Succession Regulations will come into effect. From that point, as French residents, we will be able to opt for the succession rules of our country of nationality to apply (whether or not that country is within the EU). If you do nothing, the default position is that the succession rules of your country of habitual residence will apply. However, regardless of which country’s succession rules are to apply, this will not change the tax situation. French succession taxes will still be due, which can be up to 60%, depending upon your relationship to your beneficiaries.
I am not going to go into the detail of the EU Succession Regulations here, as I have done this before and so I invite you to read my article on this at: spectrum-ifa.com/eu-succession-regulations-the-perfect-solution
As the months have passed since writing that article, I have discussed the implications of the Regulations with several legal professionals who operate at an international level and so they are already highly experienced in dealing with cross-border succession situations. Unfortunately, the further clarification on the practical application of the Regulations that we were hoping for has not appeared and so still we can only wait for the results of actual cases.
What is clear though is that if you elect the succession rules of your country of nationality, then your French property and any other assets that you own would be administered by a French notaire trying to apply another country’s law and this is likely to cause complications, delays, additional expenses and delays. So I, like many other professionals, hold the view that if there is a tried and tested ‘French way’ to achieve your objectives, then this should still be used. The ‘French way’ is another subject that I have written about in detail and the full article can be read at: spectrum-ifa.com/inheritance-planning-in-france
There will be cases where the EU Succession Regulations will be welcome for some couples. Typically, this might include situations where children are estranged from parents or step-children just will not accept the step-parent, regardless of the length of the relationship. The Regulations will be a relief for couples in such situations, as they will be able to circumvent the French forced succession rules, but they will still need to address the taxation issues that may occur. As concerns financial assets, this is an area where we can help.
Everyone’s situation is different and this is why it is very important
to seek professional advice on this subject.
Are you concerned about the EU Succession Regulations and how this affects you? If you would like to have a confidential discussion about this please contact me from the contact box below.