Mediterranean shared-care + alternating-residence comparative — IT, FR, ES, PT, GR¶

Jurisdiction: Comparative · Coverage: Italy · France · Spain · Portugal · Greece

A side-by-side analytical comparison of the five Mediterranean shared-care frameworks. All five jurisdictions have undergone substantial 2005-2021 reform cycles establishing shared parenting as the structural starting point, with significant divergence on (i) whether shared residence is a default or an option, (ii) the welfare-protective DV-screening framework, and (iii) the operational PA-recognition layer.

Comparative table — Mediterranean shared-care provisions¶

Jurisdiction	Reform	Joint-exercise default	Shared/alternating residence	Anti-alienation provision
Italy	Lei 54/2006 (affidamento condiviso)	CC art. 337-ter	Practice-developed; CC art. 337-quater excludes via affidamento esclusivo	Implicit via bigenitorialità + DDL Pillon proposals (not enacted)
France	Loi 2002-305 + Loi 2024-794	CC art. 372 + 373-2-9	Résidence alternée (art. 373-2-9 §2)	Art. 373-2-11 factor 6 pressions psychologiques
Spain	Ley 15/2005 + LO 8/2021	CC art. 92 + 156	Custodia compartida — art. 92(5) by agreement; art. 92(8) exceptional court-ordered	Implicit via TS SAP jurisprudence
Portugal	Lei 61/2008 + Lei 65/2020	CC art. 1906(1)	Residência alternada — art. 1906(6) court-orderable WITHOUT mutual agreement	Implicit via disponibilidade para promover relações factor + grande proximidade welfare anchor
Greece	N. 4800/2021	AK art. 1510 + 1513	Synepimeleia + art. 1520 one-third presumption	Express recognition in 2021 prep works + art. 1518(2) exelifestiko meso prohibition

Three-tier classification by shared-care default strength¶

Tier 1 — Express court-orderable shared residence without mutual agreement¶

Portugal (CC art. 1906(6) Lei 65/2020). The doctrinally distinctive Mediterranean framework — the court may order residência alternada independently of mutual agreement where it corresponds to the superior interest of the child. This is the strongest Mediterranean shared-residence provision because it removes the alienating-parent veto.

Spain (CC art. 92(8) post LO 8/2021). Excepcionalmente the court may order custodia compartida over parental opposition where only this protects the superior interest of the minor — requires Public Prosecutor's favorable report (procedural safeguard). Operationally close to the Portuguese framework but procedurally more rigorous.

Tier 2 — Express shared residence as priority option¶

Greece (AK art. 1513 + 1520 post N.4800/2021). Synepimeleia (joint exercise) is the default post-divorce. Art. 1520 codifies a one-third minimum communication-time presumption (rebuttable both directions). The framework establishes a strong shared-care priority without requiring mutual agreement.

France (CC art. 373-2-9). Résidence alternée is a structural option the JAF may order à la demande d'un des parents au moins. The Cour de cassation has confirmed the operational primacy of considering alternating residence as a structural starting point.

Tier 3 — Shared residence via judicial discretion¶

Italy (CC art. 337-ter). Affidamento condiviso (joint custody) is the post-2006 default, but the collocazione prevalente (prevalent placement) is the typical operational form. Shared residence develops through judicial practice, not statutory codification. The DDL Pillon proposals (2018) to make alternating residence a statutory default did not pass.

Doctrinal analysis — five key dimensions¶

1. Joint-exercise default¶

All five jurisdictions establish joint exercise as the structural post-divorce default. The formula varies:

Jurisdiction	Formula	Source
Italy	Esercizio congiunto della responsabilità genitoriale	CC art. 337-ter
France	Exercice en commun de l'autorité parentale	CC art. 372
Spain	Patria potestad … se ejercerá conjuntamente	CC art. 156(1)
Portugal	Exercidas em comum por ambos os progenitores	CC art. 1906(1)
Greece	Από κοινού και εξίσου (jointly and equally)	AK art. 1513

The Greek από κοινού και εξίσου (jointly and equally) is doctrinally distinctive — adding the equality dimension to the joint-exercise framing.

2. Express friendly-parent/cooperation factor¶

Jurisdiction	Codified factor	Source
France	YES — aptitude … à respecter les droits de l'autre + pressions psychologiques	CC art. 373-2-11 (3°) + (6°)
Portugal	YES — disponibilidade … para promover relações habituais	CC art. 1906(5)
Greece	YES — διευκολύνει και προωθεί την επικοινωνία (facilitate and promote)	AK art. 1520(2)
Spain	Indirect — via art. 92(6) relación que los padres mantengan entre sí	CC art. 92(6)
Italy	Indirect — via art. 337-ter welfare assessment	CC art. 337-ter

France, Portugal, and Greece have express friendly-parent/cooperation factors. The French art. 373-2-11(6°) pressions psychologiques is the doctrinally most direct PA-engagement provision.

3. DV-screening interaction with shared-care¶

Jurisdiction	Express DV-screening exclusion	Bidirectionality test
Spain	YES — CC art. 92(7) + 94(4) — indicios fundados of DV/gender violence	Indicios fundados requires concrete, evidenced indications
Italy	Implicit — via welfare assessment	Case-by-case
France	Implicit — via art. 373-2-11(6°) + DV-court jurisprudence	Coercive-control framework
Portugal	Implicit — via art. 1906(2) reasoned departure	EMAT assessment
Greece	Implicit — via art. 1518(2) violence prohibition	Mixed application

Spain has the most explicit DV-screening framework — but the indicios fundados standard has been interpreted by the Tribunal Supremo to require concrete, evidenced indications, preventing PA-weaponization.

4. Child's voice standard¶

Jurisdiction	Standard	Threshold
Italy	Capacity-based — capacità di discernimento	None
France	Capacity-based — discernement	None (art. 388-1)
Spain	Mandatory above age 12	Age 12
Portugal	Capacity-based — suficiente maturidade	None (RGPTC art. 35)
Greece	Capacity-based — προσωπικότητα	None (post N.4800/2021)

Spain retains the age-12 mandatory threshold — the doctrinally distinctive Mediterranean outlier. The other four have converged on capacity-based standards.

5. Apex-tier remedy framework¶

Jurisdiction	Apex-tier provision	Trigger
Italy	CC art. 330 decadenza dalla responsabilità genitoriale	Welfare-jeopardizing conduct
France	CC art. 378-1 retrait de l'autorité parentale	Cause manifestée of unworthiness
Spain	CC art. 92(3) privación de patria potestad	Causa para ello in proceedings
Portugal	CC art. 1915 inibição do exercício	Welfare interest
Greece	AK arts. 1532-1537 αφαίρεση γονικής μέριμνας	Welfare-protective triggers

All five jurisdictions have apex-tier remedy frameworks accessible in sustained PA-pattern cases — Italy's decadenza (art. 330) and France's retrait (art. 378-1) are the structurally most developed.

Operational implications for PA-pattern cases¶

Where shared-care framework provides strongest PA-protection¶

Portugal (CC art. 1906(6)). The doctrinally clearest Mediterranean pathway for PA-pattern cases. The court may order alternating residence over alienating-parent opposition. Combined with the express disponibilidade para promover relações factor (subsection 5) and the grande proximidade welfare anchor (subsection 8), Portugal provides the structurally most PA-protective framework.

Greece (AK arts. 1510 + 1520). The post-2021 reform's synepimeleia + one-third presumption + διευκολύνει και προωθεί daily facilitation duty produces operationally strong PA-protection. The 2021 prep works' express PA-recognition reinforces operational application.

France (CC art. 373-2-11). The express aptitude à respecter les droits de l'autre (factor 3) + pressions psychologiques (factor 6) provide direct doctrinal anchors for PA-pattern findings.

Where additional reasoning is required¶

Spain. The framework is operationally strong but the LO 8/2021 + LOPIVI 2021 reforms have introduced significant DV-screening complexity. PA-pattern argument must engage carefully with the indicios fundados standard to prevent both unjust DV-allegations and unjust PA-denials.

Italy. The 2006 affidamento condiviso reform was foundational but operational practice has often defaulted to collocazione prevalente. PA-pattern argument is built through the Cassazione jurisprudence on bigenitorialità + art. 337-octies ascolto + welfare assessment.

Cross-cutting Mediterranean features¶

1. Public-prosecutor involvement¶

All five jurisdictions involve the Public Prosecutor (or equivalent) in family-court proceedings: - Italy: Pubblico Ministero under CPC art. 70 - France: Ministère public under CPC art. 425 - Spain: Ministerio Fiscal mandatory under CC art. 92(6) - Portugal: Ministério Público under RGPTC art. 17 - Greece: Εισαγγελέας (eisaggeleas) where minors involved

Spain's mandatory Public Prosecutor involvement is operationally most rigorous.

2. Multidisciplinary assessment frameworks¶

Jurisdiction	Assessment body
Italy	CTU (Consulente Tecnico d'Ufficio) — court-appointed expert
France	Enquête sociale + expertise psychologique
Spain	Equipo Técnico Judicial (EAT) / Equipo Psicosocial
Portugal	EMAT (Equipa Multidisciplinar de Assessoria Técnica)
Greece	Κοινωνική Έρευνα (social investigation)

3. 2005-2021 reform cycle¶

Jurisdiction	Foundational reform	Recent reform
Italy	Lei 54/2006 (affidamento condiviso)	Cartabia 2022 (CC art. 473-bis ff procedural)
France	Loi 2002-305 (autorité parentale conjointe)	Loi 2024-794 (résidence + coercive control)
Spain	Ley 15/2005 (custodia compartida)	LO 8/2021 + Ley 8/2021 (LOPIVI + violence)
Portugal	Lei 61/2008 (responsabilidades parentais)	Lei 65/2020 (residência alternada sem acordo)
Greece	(no prior major reform)	N. 4800/2021 (full recodification)

All five jurisdictions completed major reform cycles in the 2005-2021 period. Greece is the most recent (and most ambitious) with the comprehensive N.4800/2021 framework.

4. PA-recognition status¶

Jurisdiction	PA-recognition
Italy	Functional via Cassazione jurisprudence; SAP/PAS controversy limited
France	Functional via contrôle coercitif + pressions psychologiques doctrine
Spain	Mixed — TS SAP jurisprudence + LO 8/2021 tightening
Portugal	Functional via disponibilidade + grande proximidade
Greece	Express via 2021 prep works + N.4800/2021 framework

Greece has the most express PA-recognition; Spain has the most contested PA-recognition (with the SAP jurisprudence in tension with the LO 8/2021 DV-screening reforms).