At the annual Council on General Affairs of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the European Union signed and ratified the Hague Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations. Based on the declarations made by the European Community at the time of signing, the protocol will not take effect in Denmark or the United Kingdom.  Although it has now ratified the protocol on applicable law, the European Union has not yet signed the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.