New Publication in Arab Law Quarterly

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A new private international law article was just published in the Arab Law Quarterly.:

A Dawwas, “Tacit Choice of Law Applicable to International Commercial Contracts: The Hague Principles and Arab Laws Compared”

This article deals with the law tacitly chosen by the parties to govern their international commercial contracts. It shows the method by which The 2015 Hague Principles on Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts and Arab laws refer to tacit choice, whether directly or indirectly. In addition, it tackles the level of strictness in tests for tacit choice and its criteria under both The Hague Principles and Arab laws. It concludes that, in order to achieve more predictability and legal certainty, the Legislatures in Arab states should reform the legal provisions on choice of law applicable to the contract with foreign element(s) according to the best practice followed by The Hague Principles in this regard.

Available as of next week in Recueil des cours: Mario J. A. Oyarzábal, The Influence of Public International Law upon Private International Law in History and Theory and in the Formation and Application of the Law

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The lectures of Mario J. A. Oyarzábal entitled “The influence of public international law upon private international law in history and theory and in the formation and application of the law”, which were delivered at The Hague Academy of International Law in 2020, will be published on 22 March 2023 in the Collected Courses of the Academy (Recueil des cours de l’Académie de droit international de La Haye, Vol. 428, 2023, pp. 129 et seq.).

Mario Oyarzábal is an Argentine diplomat and scholar, currently the Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The summary below has been provided by the author.

As its title suggests, this course explores the influence of public international law upon private international law, in the history and the theory as well as in the formation and the application of the law.

The course focuses on the biggest transformations that have taken place on the international plane over the course of the last century and assesses how that has affected the legal landscape, raising questions as to the scope and the potential of private international law and the suitability of the traditional sources of international law to address the role of private actors and the incursion of public law in the private arena.

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Issue 1 of Uniform Law Review for 2023

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The HCCH this month published some recent developments on private international law in Issue 1 of Uniform Law Review for 2023 as “News from the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)”

Over the past year, the HCCH, supported by its Permanent Bureau, has continued its work for the progressive unification of the rules of private international law (PIL). This annual contribution to the Uniform Law Review provides an overview of the activities of the HCCH from 1 November 2021 to 30 November 2022 and anticipates some upcoming events, encompassing the HCCH’s three main areas of work: international family and child protection law, transnational litigation and apostille, and international commercial, digital, and financial law.

NGPIL Prize

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Originally posted in News and events – Nigeria Group on Private International Law (ngpil.org)

On 4 March 2023, the Nigerian Group on Private International Law (“NGPIL”) colleagues were pleased to meet the winners of the 2023 NGPIL Conflict of Law’s Essay Prize. This year, we awarded two candidates, winner and first runner up, for excellent and engaging pieces on PIL and Nigeria.

Our winner, Oluwabusola Fagbemi, an LLM student from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State emerged as the winner of this year’s competition. She wrote on “A Comparative Analysis of Product Liability in the Conflict of Laws”, a piece that the deciding panel found to engage robust research, comprising of Nigeria common law, EU approach, English approach and US approach. Our winner was awarded 185,000NGN. In her words “It is an honour to be selected for The NGPIL Prize for the year 2022/2023. Thank you very much…It was also great to get to know them [NGPIL] and hear of their exciting work, and the impact that they are making in the PIL space globally… believe that The NGPIL is the right place for me to grow, learn, advance my career, and develop my interests in PIL. I will definitely keep in touch and remain connected, and I am looking forward to future collaboration.”

Adeyinka Adeoye from the Nigerian School of Law, Kano Campus received the 1st runner prize on her paper entitled “Product Liability in Private International Law” from a Nigerian perspective. She was awarded 65,000NGN. In her words “I am super excited that my essay emerged first runner-up. This news came at the best possible time“.

Huge congratulations to Busola and Adeyinka!

Conclusions & Decisions of the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH now available!

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The Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met from 7 to 10 March 2023. The meeting was attended by over 450 participants, representing 80 HCCH Members, 8 non-Member States, 7 intergovernmental organizations, 9 international non-governmental organizations, and members of the Permanent Bureau. The Conclusions & Decisions adopted by CGAP are now available in English and French.

In terms of work relating to possible new legislative instruments, CGAP mandated the establishment of a Working Group on private international law (PIL) matters related to legal parentage generally, including legal parentage resulting from an international surrogacy arrangement. Noting progress made by the Working Group on matters related to jurisdiction in transnational civil or commercial litigation in the development of provisions for a draft Convention, CGAP invited the convening of two further Working Group meetings. It also supported further exploratory work on the PIL implications of the digital economy, including, among other, by mandating the conduct of a study on the PIL implications of CBDCs and by endorsing the launch of the HCCH-UNIDROIT Project on Law Applicable to Cross-Border Holdings and Transfers of Digital Assets and Tokens. Across several projects, CGAP welcomed the cooperation with UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, and WIPO, including with respect to work in the areas of digital economy, insolvency proceedings and intellectual property.

In relation to post-Convention work, CGAP approved the Toolkit to Prevent and Address Illicit Practices on Intercountry Adoption and the Model Forms for use under the 1993 Adoption Convention, mandated the development of a Template for Country Fact Sheets on available post-adoption services relating to search for origins, and mandated the establishment of a Working Group on financial aspects of intercountry adoption. CGAP also agreed upon the extension of the scope of the International Hague Network of Judges (IHNJ) to matters relating to the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention. CGAP endorsed the Conclusions & Recommendations of the recent meetings of the Special Commissions (SCs) on the practical operation of the 1993 Adoption, 2000 Protection of Adults, and 2007 Child Support Conventions, and welcomed the preparations for the upcoming meetings of the SCs on the practical operation of the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions, to be held in the second half of 2023, and on the practical operation of the 1965 Service, 1970 Evidence and 1980 Access to Justice Conventions. Finally, CGAP mandated the PB to continue work, in partnership with relevant subject-matter experts, and subject to available resources, to study the 2006 Securities Convention and digital developments in respect of securities markets; the interpretation of analogous institutions for the purpose of Article 2 of the 1985 Trusts Convention; and, in relation to the 2015 Choice of Law Principles, the feasibility, desirability and necessity of developing guidance on applicable law in international contracts providing protection to weaker parties.

From a good governance perspective, CGAP approved the HCCH Strategic Plan for 2023-2028. It also decided to adopt Spanish as an official language of the HCCH as of 1 July 2024. Finally, CGAP decided to recommend Dr Christophe Bernasconi to the Netherlands Standing Government Committee on Private International Law for the position of Secretary General of the HCCH for another five-year mandate.

Out now: Chong and Yip, Singapore Private International Law: Commercial Issues and Practice

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This book, by Adeline Chong and Man Yip, faculty members at the Yong Pung How School of Law at the Singapore Management University, is part of the Oxford Private International Law Series. There is a 30% discount for purchases made through the OUP website using the promotion code AUFLY30. The publisher’s blurb is as follows:

“There has been significant reform in Singapore private international law in recent years. Developments such as the establishment of the Singapore International Commercial Court, the incorporation of the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements into Singapore law, and the enactment of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018, have all thrown the country into a period of rapid growth.

Singapore Private International Law: Commercial Issues and Practice provides a roadmap to assist readers in navigating this changing landscape. In it, Chong and Yip offer an overview of Singapore’s legal system, exploring how governmental and judicial efforts have capitalised on Singapore’s location at the heart of Asia, its status as a leading financial centre globally, and its modern infrastructure, to make it the hub of choice for cross-border disputes and insolvency and restructuring efforts. Practical guidance is given to matters such as changes to jurisdiction, protective measures, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, general choice of law issues, and issues specific to contract, tort, unjust enrichment, equitable obligations, trusts, property, corporations, and international insolvency and corporate restructuring. The book also looks at how the English common law principles have been implemented and developed in Singapore, with relevant cases, legislation, and foreign sources used to offer a comparative perspective.”

 

Further information can be found at this link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/singapore-private-international-law-9780198837596?cc=sg&lang=en&#

 

 

ICC Institute Prize | 9th Edition | Deadline: 3 April 2023

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For more than 40 years, the ICC Institute of World Business Law has been enhancing ties between the academic world and practising lawyers.

Launched in 2007, the Institute created the Institute Prize as a means to encourage focused research on legal issues affecting international business. Contributing to the understanding and progress of international commercial law around the world, the Institute Prize recognises legal writing excellence.

The Institute Prize is open to anyone 40 years of age or under as of deadline date who submits a doctoral dissertation or long essay (minimum of 150 pages) drafted in French or English on the subject of international commercial law, including arbitration.

Rules and deadlines concerning the next Prize edition in 2023 are finally out. The works submitted for the Prize should be sent to the Secretariat of the Institute at the contact address indicated below: iccprize@iccwbo.org by 3 April 2023 at the latest.

It goes without saying that CoL is proud that one of its former editors, Brooke Marshall, was named laureate of the 2021 ICC Institute of World Business Law Prize for her thesis on ‘Asymmetric Jurisdiction Clauses’. And the round before, it was our current editor Tobias Lutzi who won the Prize for his thesis on ‘Regulating the Internet through Private International Law’. We keep our fingers crossed that perhaps again someone from the global CoL community will be successful.

HCCH Internship Applications Now Open!

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Applications are now open for three- to six-month legal internships at the Permanent Bureau’s headquarters in The Hague, for the period from July to December 2023!

Interns work with our legal teams in the areas of Family and Child Protection Law, Transnational Litigation and Legal Cooperation, and Commercial, Digital and Financial Law. Duties may include carrying out research on particular points of private international law and/or comparative law, taking part in the preparation of HCCH meetings and contributing to the promotion of the HCCH and its work.

Applications should be submitted by 31 March 2023. For more information, please visit the Internships Section of the HCCH website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spanish at the HCCH: An ode to professors Alegría Borrás and Julio González Campos

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May today’s milestone (reported here) be also an ode to late professors Alegría Borrás and Julio González Campos for their absolute tireless efforts regarding the Spanish language at the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and their infatuation with the Spanish language.

Let us remember that we are standing on the shoulders of giants.

 

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Revolución! Hague Conference Adopts Spanish as Third Official Language

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Take a last look at this image from the website of the HCCH; it will likely change soon. The HCCH has adopted Spanish as an official language from 1 July 2024.
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Here is the official announcement from The Hague Conference (the link provides also the Spanish version):
During the annual meeting of the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP), the Members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) expressed their unanimous support for the introduction of Spanish as an official language. From 1 July 2024, Spanish will join English and French as one of the three official languages of the Organisation.
This development represents an important further step contributing to universality and inclusiveness at the HCCH, reflecting the importance of multilingualism and multilateralism as core pillars of its work.
The adoption of Spanish as an official language will facilitate the proper and effective implementation and operation of the HCCH’s Conventions and instruments in Spanish-speaking States and will therefore have a decisive positive impact on the lives of the hundreds of millions of native Spanish-speakers around the world. The adoption of Spanish will also simplify the lives of the countless other individuals who interact with Spanish-speaking States – be it through commerce, travel, personal relations, or other.
The decision to adopt Spanish as an official language of the HCCH will be reflected in CGAP’s Conclusions and Decisions, to be published in the coming days.
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And here is a first blog entry from Claudia Martínez, appropriately in Spanish.
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Notably, a Spanish version of the HCCH website has existed since the launch in 2009. Then, it was the only language version other than the English and French ones. Today, (more or less) full versions exist also in German and Portuguese;  other language sites provide translations of Hague Conventions.