CONTRACTS TORTS
▪ BRUSSELS I-BIS
JURISDICTION ▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT BRUSSELS I-BIS
APPLICABLE LAW ROME I + USGC ROME II
RECOGNITION & ▪ BRUSSELS I-BIS BRUSSELS I-BIS
EFNORCEMENT ▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT (identical to the one for CONTRACT)
▪ INTERNATIONAL FACTS
▪ CHARACTERISATION
▪ PIL QUESTION
▪ SOURCES
▪ SCOPE
▪ CONCURRENCE
▪ APPLICATION
▪ CONCLUSION
SCOPES FOR CONTRACTS
JURISDICTION
• BRUSSELS I-BIS
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1): Civil and commercial law – interpreted as an autonomous concept,
as laid down in
• LTU v Eurocontrol: within objectives of the regulation and MSs’
general principles
• ART 1(2): Excluded grounds
o Family law
o Law of persons
o Bakruptcy
o Social security
o Arbitration
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 4: Persons domiciled in a MS should be sued in this MS (even though
they are not its nationals) + ART 62: Natural persons (domiciled in an EU
MS) / ART 63: Legal persons (domiciled in an EU MS)
▪ ART 5: Persons domiciled in a MS may be sued in another MS only within
special rules (Section 2–7) + ART 62: Natural persons (domiciled in an EU
MS) / ART 63: Legal persons (domiciled in an EU MS)
• ART 63(a): Satutory seat OR
• ART 63(b): Central administration OR
• ART 63(c): Place of business
▪ ART 6: Scope in exceptional cases:
, •
ART 24: Exclusive grounds of jurisdiction (regardless of parties’
domicile)
• ART 25: Choice-of-law clause (regardless of parties’ domicile)
• ART 18: Consumer contracts (regardless of the company’s domicile)
• ART 21: Employment contracts (regardless of the employer’s
domicile)
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
• ART 66 + 81: Legal proceedings instituted on or after 10 January
2015
▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT CONVENTION (HCCC) – ONLY FOR CHOICE OF
COURT
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 3(a): “exclusive choice-of-court agreement”
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 1: International cases in civil and commercial law matters
▪ ART 3(a): Court chosen is from a Contracting States
• Contracting States:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-
table/?cid=98
o Concurrence rules point to Brussels I-bis
o Denmark, Montenegro, Singapore, Mexico: HCCC
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ ART 16: Choice of court must be after entry force for chosen state
APPLICABLE LAW
• ROME I
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1: International contractual obligations in civil and commercial matters
• ART 1(2): Exclusions
o Public law
o Tax
o Customs
o Pre-contractual liability (culpa in contrahendo)
o Arbitration and choice of court agreements
o Corporate issues
o Some other grounds
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 2: Universal (no geographical requirements)
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ ART 28: Contracts concluded after 17 December 2009
• Croatia: After 1 July 2013
• Before 17 December 2009: Rome Convention
• Denmark: Rome Convention
▪ CISG / VIENNA CONVENTION
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1: Commercial sales of movable goods between companies with place
of business in different States
• ART 2-15: Exclusion (+ additional information)
, o Consumer sales
o Auction
o Execution sales
o Stocks
o Shares
o Ships
o Aircrafts
o Electricity
o (PREDOMINANTLY) Supply of services
o Validity of contract
o Property aspects
o Death/injury due to product liability
• If unclear characterisation (eg, sale & element of other contract)
o Balance obligations to define preponderant scope of contract
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1)(a): Both parties’ place of business in different CSs (direct
application)
• ART 10(a): If a party has more than one place of business
o The one with the closest connection to contract/performance
• ART 10(b): If a party has no place of business
o Its habitual residence
▪ ART 1(1)(b): When PIL rules (eg COL rules from Rome I) refer to law of CS
(indirect application)
• Eg, Transfer between the Netherlands and Malta (seller), who is not a
CS, but Maltese law will be applicable as based on ART 4(1)(a)
Rome I
▪ ART 6: Parties can exclude the application of the CISG to their contract, but
reference to the law of a CS as applicable includes the application of CISG
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ Relevant dates for particular CSs:
https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=X-
10&chapter=10
RECOGNITION & ENFORCEMENT
• BRUSSELS I-BIS
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1): Civil and commercial law – interpreted as an autonomous concept,
as laid down in
▪ LTU v Eurocontrol: within objectives of the regulation and MSs’ general
principles
• ART 1(2): Excluded grounds
o Family law
o Law of persons
o Bakruptcy
o Social security
o Arbitration
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 36 + 39: Judgment given in a MS and recognition/enforcement in
another MS – jurisdiction need not be Brussels-I bis
▪ BRUSSELS I-BIS
JURISDICTION ▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT BRUSSELS I-BIS
APPLICABLE LAW ROME I + USGC ROME II
RECOGNITION & ▪ BRUSSELS I-BIS BRUSSELS I-BIS
EFNORCEMENT ▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT (identical to the one for CONTRACT)
▪ INTERNATIONAL FACTS
▪ CHARACTERISATION
▪ PIL QUESTION
▪ SOURCES
▪ SCOPE
▪ CONCURRENCE
▪ APPLICATION
▪ CONCLUSION
SCOPES FOR CONTRACTS
JURISDICTION
• BRUSSELS I-BIS
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1): Civil and commercial law – interpreted as an autonomous concept,
as laid down in
• LTU v Eurocontrol: within objectives of the regulation and MSs’
general principles
• ART 1(2): Excluded grounds
o Family law
o Law of persons
o Bakruptcy
o Social security
o Arbitration
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 4: Persons domiciled in a MS should be sued in this MS (even though
they are not its nationals) + ART 62: Natural persons (domiciled in an EU
MS) / ART 63: Legal persons (domiciled in an EU MS)
▪ ART 5: Persons domiciled in a MS may be sued in another MS only within
special rules (Section 2–7) + ART 62: Natural persons (domiciled in an EU
MS) / ART 63: Legal persons (domiciled in an EU MS)
• ART 63(a): Satutory seat OR
• ART 63(b): Central administration OR
• ART 63(c): Place of business
▪ ART 6: Scope in exceptional cases:
, •
ART 24: Exclusive grounds of jurisdiction (regardless of parties’
domicile)
• ART 25: Choice-of-law clause (regardless of parties’ domicile)
• ART 18: Consumer contracts (regardless of the company’s domicile)
• ART 21: Employment contracts (regardless of the employer’s
domicile)
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
• ART 66 + 81: Legal proceedings instituted on or after 10 January
2015
▪ HAGUE CHOICE OF COURT CONVENTION (HCCC) – ONLY FOR CHOICE OF
COURT
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 3(a): “exclusive choice-of-court agreement”
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 1: International cases in civil and commercial law matters
▪ ART 3(a): Court chosen is from a Contracting States
• Contracting States:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-
table/?cid=98
o Concurrence rules point to Brussels I-bis
o Denmark, Montenegro, Singapore, Mexico: HCCC
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ ART 16: Choice of court must be after entry force for chosen state
APPLICABLE LAW
• ROME I
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1: International contractual obligations in civil and commercial matters
• ART 1(2): Exclusions
o Public law
o Tax
o Customs
o Pre-contractual liability (culpa in contrahendo)
o Arbitration and choice of court agreements
o Corporate issues
o Some other grounds
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 2: Universal (no geographical requirements)
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ ART 28: Contracts concluded after 17 December 2009
• Croatia: After 1 July 2013
• Before 17 December 2009: Rome Convention
• Denmark: Rome Convention
▪ CISG / VIENNA CONVENTION
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1: Commercial sales of movable goods between companies with place
of business in different States
• ART 2-15: Exclusion (+ additional information)
, o Consumer sales
o Auction
o Execution sales
o Stocks
o Shares
o Ships
o Aircrafts
o Electricity
o (PREDOMINANTLY) Supply of services
o Validity of contract
o Property aspects
o Death/injury due to product liability
• If unclear characterisation (eg, sale & element of other contract)
o Balance obligations to define preponderant scope of contract
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1)(a): Both parties’ place of business in different CSs (direct
application)
• ART 10(a): If a party has more than one place of business
o The one with the closest connection to contract/performance
• ART 10(b): If a party has no place of business
o Its habitual residence
▪ ART 1(1)(b): When PIL rules (eg COL rules from Rome I) refer to law of CS
(indirect application)
• Eg, Transfer between the Netherlands and Malta (seller), who is not a
CS, but Maltese law will be applicable as based on ART 4(1)(a)
Rome I
▪ ART 6: Parties can exclude the application of the CISG to their contract, but
reference to the law of a CS as applicable includes the application of CISG
o TEMPORAL SCOPE
▪ Relevant dates for particular CSs:
https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=X-
10&chapter=10
RECOGNITION & ENFORCEMENT
• BRUSSELS I-BIS
o SUBSTANTIVE SCOPE
▪ ART 1(1): Civil and commercial law – interpreted as an autonomous concept,
as laid down in
▪ LTU v Eurocontrol: within objectives of the regulation and MSs’ general
principles
• ART 1(2): Excluded grounds
o Family law
o Law of persons
o Bakruptcy
o Social security
o Arbitration
o GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
▪ ART 36 + 39: Judgment given in a MS and recognition/enforcement in
another MS – jurisdiction need not be Brussels-I bis
