Samenvatting

The possibility of imposing shared child residence after divorce - even against the wishes of one of the parents - has been recently introduced in several countries. In the Netherlands such possibility was first part of a Private MP Bill. After its initial rejection, it became incorporated by amendment into the Governmental Bill that became law on 1 March 2009 - against the will of the Minister. Due to this turbulent legislative history and rather unclear wording of the legislation uncertainty remained as to whether shared residence can be imposed against the will of one of the parents and whether the judge is obliged to consider it as a first option in each child residence case. The recent decision of the Supreme Court finally clarified the situation: both questions are answered in the affirmative, however the best interest of the child remains the leading consideration for the judge deciding the case.