Three years after its establishment the CEFL presents its first Principles of European Family Law in the field of divorce and maintenance between former spouses. The Principles aim to bestow the most suitable means for the harmonisation of family laws in Europe. In this respect they may serve as a frame of reference for national, European and international legislators alike. The Principles could considerably facilitate their task for the reason, that on the one hand, CEFL’s in-depth and comprehensive comparative research is easily accessible and, on the other, most of the rules have been drafted in the same way as that which legislators normally consider to be appropriate.