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The Jean Monnet Network – BRIDGE project, cofunded by EU Erasmus+ Programme, and the Latin American Center of European Studies invite the academic community to submit scientific papers to the V Workshop Jean Monnet Network on “Private International Law in relations between the European Union and Latin America”, which will be held in hybrid format on April, 19th 2023, hosted by the Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.

The selected articles will be invited to publish in the Latin American Journal of European Studies or in the Collection of the Workshop.  The top two articles will also receive an award of EUR 250 each.

Those who are interested must submit the article by March, 24th 2023 to the email: network@eurolatinstudies.com.

More information here.

PACCAR e.a.
Concurrence ENTR POSI
La production de « preuves pertinentes », au sens du droit de l’Union, recouvre les documents qu’une partie peut être amenée à créer par l'agrégation ou la classification d'informations, de connaissances ou de données en sa possession

Commission / Valencia Club de Fútbol
Aide d'État
Décision concernant une aide d’État octroyée par l’Espagne au Valencia CF annulée par le Tribunal : la Cour rejette le pourvoi de la Commission

As noted earlier on this blog, on 2 December 2022, from 4 pm to 5.30 pm (MET), EAPIL will hold a joint Seminar with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). The Seminar will focus on the review of the Rome II Regulation and will, in this context, shed light on the Study that was prepared in 2021 by BIICL and Civic Consulting to support the preparation of the Commission report on the Regulation’s application. The seminar will focus on general issues as well as a selection of specific subjects.

The Seminar will take place via Zoom. If you wish to join, please register here by 30 November 2022 at noon. Registered participants will receive the details to join the Seminar on 1 December 2022.

The Seminar’s programme is as follows:

4.00 pm
Introduction: Overview of the Study
Constance Bonzé, BIICL (UK)
Eva Lein, BIICL (UK)/University of Lausanne (Switzerland)

— FOCUS I

4.15 pm
Financial Loss
Xandra Kramer, University of Rotterdam (Netherlands)

— FOCUS II

4.25 pm
Artificial Intelligence
Martin Ebers, University of Tartu (Estonia)

—

4.35 pm
A View from Practice
Marie Louise Kinsler, KC, 2 Temple Gardens, London (UK)

—

4.45 pm
Discussion

For more information, please write an e-mail to secretary.general@eapil.org.

The Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) delivered yesterday its judgment in case C‑873/19 (Deutsche Umwelthilfe eV v Bundesrepublik Deutschland, joined party: Volkswagen AG), which is about the Aarhus Convention and access to justice in environmental matters:

“1. Article 9(3) of the Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, signed in Aarhus on 25 June 1998 and approved on behalf of the European Community by Council Decision 2005/370/EC of 17 February 2005, read in conjunction with Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, must be interpreted as precluding a situation where an environmental association, authorised to bring legal proceedings in accordance with national law, is unable to challenge before a national court an administrative decision granting or amending EC type-approval which may be contrary to Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2007 on type approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6) and on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information.

2. Article 5(2)(a) of Regulation No 715/2007 must be interpreted as meaning that a defeat device can be justified under that provision only where it is established that that device strictly meets the need to avoid immediate risks of damage or accident to the engine, caused by a malfunction of a component of the exhaust gas recirculation system, of such a serious nature as to give rise to a specific hazard when a vehicle fitted with that device is driven. Furthermore, the ‘need’ for a defeat device, within the meaning of that provision, exists only where, at the time of the EC type-approval of that device or of the vehicle equipped with it, no other technical solution makes it possible to avoid immediate risks of damage or accident to the engine, which give rise to a specific hazard when driving the vehicle”.

Source: https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=268044&mode=req&pageIndex=1&dir=&occ=first&part=1&text=&doclang=EN&cid=280104

Le 31 octobre, la CEDH a accordé une mesure provisoire à un demandeur d’asile sans hébergement depuis son arrivée en Belgique. Si cette décision est inédite, elle pourrait être la première d’une longue série, la Cour précisant recevoir de manière continue des demandes similaires.

Sur la boutique Dalloz Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile 2023, annoté et commenté Voir la boutique Dalloz

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On 2 December 2022, from 4 pm to 5.30 pm (MET), the European Association of Private International Law (EAPIL) will hold a joint Seminar with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). The Seminar will focus on the review of the Rome II Regulation and will, in this context, shed light on the Study that was prepared in 2021 by BIICL and Civic Consulting to support the preparation of the Commission report on the Regulation’s application. The seminar will focus on general issues as well as a selection of specific subjects.

 

Programme

4.00 pm: Introduction – Overview of the Study

       Constance Bonzé, BIICL (UK) and Eva Lein, BIICL (UK)/University of Lausanne (Switzerland)

4.15 pm: Focus I – Financial Loss

       Xandra Kramer, University of Rotterdam (Netherlands)

4.25 pm: Focus II – Artificial Intelligence

       Martin Ebers, University of Tartu (Estonia)

4.35 pm: A View from Practice

       Marie Louise Kinsler, KC, 2 Temple Gardens, London (UK)

4.45 pm: Discussion

 

Participation and Registration

The Seminar will take place via Zoom. Registration is possible via this link. Registered participants will receive all necessary information one day prior to the event (i.e. on 1 December 2022).

 

Background

The EAPIL (Virtual) Seminar Series wishes to contribute to the study and development of (European) Private International Law through English-language seminars on topical issues. It will provide an easily accessible and informal platform for the exchange of ideas – outside the bi-annual EAPIL conferences. At the same time, it will serve as a means for EAPIL members to connect with other EAPIL members and non-members.

 

About the Book

 Streamlining disputes has become imperative to reduce the judicial caseload. One may presume that resorting to arbitration or other forms of ADR when the parties wish to resolve their issues amicably might provide them with a speedier remedy. Considering that commercial disputes now are extensively complex and cumbersome, there arose a need for a more evolved dispute resolution mechanism that could cater to the needs of each contract or dispute in a customised manner. MTDR can aid in doing so. It entails successfully employing different kinds of ADR for the same dispute in case there is no resolution. However, MTDR comes with its fair share of issues, such as reservations amongst the parties, lack of rules governing such procedures, limitation period, lack of party cooperation and the non-binding nature of certain forms of ADR. These pertinent questions are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Multi-Tiered Dispute Resolution. The objectives of Alternative Dispute Resolution are saving time and reducing costs. At the end of the day, it is imperative to answer whether Multi-Tier Dispute Resolution is viable in achieving these objectives or if it will manifold the complexities involved in the process. Yet if there is even a possibility of settling disputes or at least parts of the dispute amicably, this concept is worth a chance. Despite the United Nations’ endeavours to promote uniform interpretations of the arbitration law worldwide, several nations have taken varying stands on the enforceability of certain dispute resolution procedures, calling for a study of the varying standards in different jurisdictions. For any dispute resolution mechanism to be effective, the codified law and the jurisprudence of a particular state need to be conducive to enforcing the process adopted by the parties. Thus, in-depth analysis and critical review of this subject’s laws and judicial pronouncements have been demonstrated. This book aims to assist the reader in overcoming the issues that one might face with MTDR in a wide range of jurisdictions to make this process of dispute resolution useful, effective and fruitful. The book covers MTDR in different jurisdictions like the UK, USA, France, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and India. The functionality of any reform, particularly one that seeks to provide a multi-faceted solution, predominantly lies in the academic enrichment of the same. Policy and academia can only strengthen public awareness of Multi-Tier Dispute Resolution.

 

The Book is available for purchase on the Bloomsbury website using this link.

About the Author

Anjali is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Anjali holds an LL.M. in International Commercial Arbitration Law from Stockholm University (SU); and B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) degree from Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat (India). She is also a qualified lawyer at the Bar Council of India. She has also been advising domestic and international clients regarding commercial and civil disputes. Anjali is also acting as a Dispute Resolver (Mediator/Arbitrator/Conciliator) for various ODR platforms. Anjali sits on the Editorial Board of Legal Maxim and the Review Board of Syin & Sern. 

 

Ferriera Valsabbia et Valsabbia Investimenti / Commission
Concurrence
Le Tribunal confirme les sanctions allant de 2,2 à 5,1 millions d’euros infligées par la Commission à quatre entreprises pour leur participation à une entente sur le marché italien des ronds à béton

Minority SafePack - one million signatures for diversity in Europe / Commission
Droit institutionnel
Le Tribunal confirme la communication de la Commission refusant d’entreprendre les actions demandées dans l’initiative citoyenne européenne « Minority SafePack - one million signatures for diversity in Europe »

The first meeting of the Special Commission to review the practical operation of the HCCH 2000 Protection of Adults Convention will be held today in The Hague and will last until 11 November 2022. This event is remarkable given that this is the first time that the practical operation of this Convention is assessed since its entry into force on 1 January 2009.

A few topics of the agenda are worthy of note. I would like to highlight two:

The first topic deals with the tools to assist with the implementation of the 2000 Convention and is broken down as follows:

• Improving accessibility to the existing model forms
• Direct judicial communications and a possible network of judges under the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention. See here.
• Finalisation and adoption of the Practical Handbook on the Operation of the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention
• Finalisation and adoption of the Implementation Checklist under the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention
• Finalisation and adoption of the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention Country Profile

The second topic and undoubtedly fascinating to any international lawyer – if only with regard to treaty law – is the agenda item: Possible amendments to the 2000 Convention. For more information, click here. This agenda item contains the following sub-items:

• Interest in deleting the terms “guardianship” and “curatorship” (Art. 3(c))
• Interest in adding a new conflict rule for “ex lege representation”
• Interest in adding a provision on “instructions given and wishes made by the adult e.g. advance directives”
• Interest in adding final clauses allowing Regional Economic Integration Organisation to join the 2000 Convention
• Possible mechanisms to amend the 2000 Convention

It is becoming a tradition for the EAPIL blog to announce the publication of the PAX Moot. It is now just around two weeks that the case has been published for the students who are keen to take part in a yearly moot competition on Private International Law.

This time the Pax Moot Round is dedicated to the memory of Peter Nygh, a leading international lawyer, former judge of the Family Court of Australia, co-rapporteur on The Hague ‘judgment project’, and representative for Australia in the negotiations of the Convention on the Protection of Children.

The Peter Nygh Round of the competition will require participants to deal with the complexities of Private International Law in a global setting: European, African and American incorporated companies, Panamanian-flag vessel, and health injuries to employees from Philippines. The factual situation in the case is set around a series of international transactions and situations related to the refueling of a vessel in the port of Antwerp. The this, the insolvency procedure of one of the subsidiary companies involved in the arrangement of the refueling further complicates the situation of the parties.

The students participating in the 2023 PAX Moot are required to address matters of jurisdiction, the relevance of the insolvency proceedings for the pending claims, the possibility of appointing an expert to investigate factual situations in another country, and determining the applicable law.

Student teams from all over the world will be able to register for the competition from 2 November 2022. This can be done via an online form available here.

The moot comprises a written and an oral round. More information about the competition and its timetable are available here.

Il faut commencer par signaler l’entrée en vigueur le 3 octobre 2022 d’un nouveau règlement de la Cour intégrant une nouvelle version de l’instruction pratique concernant les demandes de mesures provisoires édictée par le président conformément à l’article 32. Il précise essentiellement que les mesures provisoires formées au titre de l’article 39 du règlement ne sont pas traitées par la Cour si elles sont adressées par courrier électronique et qu’elles doivent être envoyées soit par « EHCR Rule 39 site », soit par télécopie ou par la poste en faisant alors figurer en gras sur la première page le mot « urgent » suivi du nom et des coordonnées de la personne à contacter ainsi que, dans les affaires d’extradition et d’expulsion, la date et l’heure prévues pour y procéder et le lieu de destination. S’agissant de l’activité jurisprudentielle proprement dite, la période septembre octobre 2022 a été marquée par d’importants arrêts de grandes chambres se rapportant aux difficultés de rapatriement en France des enfants de jeunes Françaises djihadistes et aux discriminations stéréotypées frappant les veufs ; par des arrêts et décisions peu enclins à stigmatiser les mesures mises en place par les États pour lutter contre la pandémie de covid-19 ; de nombreux arrêts accentuant la lutte contre les interventions médicales non consenties ; des solutions à fort impact environnemental ; des arrêts protecteurs des formes les plus outrancières de la liberté d’expression…

Sur la boutique Dalloz Code de procédure pénale 2023, annoté. Inclus le code pénitentiaire Voir la boutique Dalloz

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La Cour de justice se penche sur une affaire originale dans laquelle une société mère a garanti les obligations de sa filiale à l’égard de l’un de ses salariés, qui fut par la suite licencié.

Sur la boutique Dalloz Code du travail annoté, Édition limitée 2022-2023 Droit du travail 2023 Voir la boutique Dalloz

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Fiat Chrysler Finance Europe / Commission
Aide d'État
« Tax rulings » : la Cour juge que le Tribunal a confirmé à tort le cadre de référence retenu par la Commission pour l’application du principe de pleine concurrence aux sociétés intégrées au Luxembourg, en omettant de tenir compte des règles spécifiques mettant en œuvre ce principe dans cet État membre

Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid (Examen d’office de la rétention)
Justice et Affaires intérieures
Le juge national est tenu de vérifier de sa propre initiative la légalité d’une mesure de rétention prise à l’égard d’un ressortissant étranger en séjour irrégulier ou d’un demandeur d’asile

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (Réception des véhicules à moteur)
Environnement et consommateurs
Les associations de protection de l’environnement agréées doivent pouvoir contester en justice une réception CE par type de véhicules équipés de « dispositifs d’invalidation » susceptibles d’être interdits

On 18 October 2022, the European Commission adopted its 2023 Work Programme. As explained in the press release that accompanies the document, the programme aims to set out a bold and transformative agenda in the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, rising energy prices and the knock-on effects on the economy, while defending Europe’s democratic values and pursuing long-term goals and interests.

The initiatives that the Commission plans to take, or pursue with particular interest, in the course of 2023 are listed in three annexes.

Annex I is concerned with the new policy and legislative initiatives that the Commission intends to propose. None of the items in this Annex is based on Article 81 TFUE, on judicial cooperation in civil matters. No reference is made in the document to two topics that formed (and still form) the object of discussion among academics and stakeholder, namely the recognition of parenthood and the protection of vulnerable adults.

Annex II, on REFIT initiatives (i.e., initiatives aimed at making EU law simpler, less costly and future proof), contemplates, among other things, a revision of alternative dispute resolution and online dispute resolution framework to improve enforcement of consumer law is expected. A strong alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework will enable consumers and businesses to solve their disputes rapidly and at a low cost, out-of-court. The increase in online shopping during the pandemic has shown that there is room for overall simplification notably in cross-border disputes and cost-effective measures, e.g., through digital tools and collective ADR disputes mechanisms. The idea is to modernise the ADR framework in view of the rapid development of online markets and advertising and the need to ensure that consumers have access to fair, neutral and efficient dispute resolution systems.

Various procedures involving aspects of private international law are featured in Annex III, about the pending procedures that the Commission regards as a priority.

The proposed Directive on adapting non-contractual civil liability rules to artificial intelligence (the AI Liability Directive) appears in this list. Liability ranked amongst the top barriers to the use of AI by European companies. This is so because current national liability rules, in particular based on fault, are not suited to handling liability claims for damage caused by AI-enabled products and services. Under such rules, victims need to prove a wrongful action or omission by a person who caused the damage. The specific characteristics of AI, including complexity, autonomy and opacity (the so-called “black box” effect), may make it difficult or prohibitively expensive for victims to identify the liable person and prove the requirements for a successful liability claim. In particular, when claiming compensation, victims could incur very high up-front costs and face significantly longer legal proceedings, compared to cases not involving AI. Victims may therefore be deterred from claiming compensation altogether. Therefore, the objective of this proposal is to promote the rollout of trustworthy AI to harvest its full benefits for the internal market. It does so by ensuring victims of damage caused by AI obtain equivalent protection to victims of damage caused by products in general. It also reduces legal uncertainty of businesses developing or using AI regarding their possible exposure to liability and prevents the emergence of fragmented AI-specific adaptations of national civil liability rules. From a private international law perspective, the impact of the Directive and the (possible) future implementation in national rules and the relationship with the Rome II Regulation shall be investigated.

The list of priority pending procedures also include the proposed Directive on liability for defective products. Directive 85/374/EEC, which the proposal aims to repeal, has the objective to provide an EU-level system for compensating people who suffer physical injury or damage to property due to defective products. Since its adoption in 1985, there have been significant changes in the way products are produced, distributed and operated, including the modernisation of product safety and market surveillance rules. The green and digital transitions are underway and bring with them enormous benefits for Europe’s society and economy, be it by extending the life of materials and products, e.g. through remanufacturing, or by increasing productivity and convenience thanks to smart products and artificial intelligence. Therefore, the revision of the Directive seeks to ensure the functioning of the internal market, free movement of goods, undistorted competition between market operators, and a high level of protection of consumers’ health and property. In particular, it aims to: ensure liability rules reflecting the nature and risks of products in the digital age and circular economy; ensure there is always a business based in the EU that can be held liable for defective products bought directly from manufacturers outside the EU; ease the burden of proof in complex cases and ease restrictions on making claims, while ensuring a fair balance between the legitimate interests of manufacturers, injured persons and consumers in general; ensure legal certainty.

Also in the list of the Commission’s priorities is the proposed Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. An overview of the Commission proposal has already appeared on this blog. As suggested in a recommendation of GEDIP that has recently been brought to the attention of the readers of this blog (see here), the Proposal may need to be reconsidered and improved in various respects.

Another priority pending procedure is the proposed Directive on protecting persons who engage in public participation from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings (“Strategic lawsuits against public participation”, or SLAPPs). The initiative has been the object of a dedicated post on this blog.

Finally, the Commission intends to include among its priorities the initiatives it has taken regarding the digitalisation of judicial cooperation in cross-border civil and commercial matters, i.e., the proposed Directive on digitalisation of judicial cooperation and the proposed Regulation on the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice in cross-border civil, commercial and criminal matters. An illustration is found in this post.

The proposed Directive on consumer credits and the proposed Regulation on the law applicable to the third-party effects of assignments of claims equally feature in the list of the priority pending legislative proposals.

Event date: 17 November 2022 Event time: 12:00 – 13:30 Oxford week: MT 6 Audience: Members of the University Venue: St Catherine’s College (Room: TBA) Speaker(s): Dr Jeanne Huang (Associate Professor, The University of Sydney)

On January 24, 2022, the Supreme People’s Court of China issued the Minutes of the National Court’s Symposium on Foreign-Related Commercial and Maritime Trials (“Minutes”), which provide rules for judgment recognition and enforcement (“JRE”) in China when no treaty exists between China and the state of origin or the treaty does not address a particular JRE issue. Later in the year, on August 29, 2022, the European Union and its member states acceded to the 2019 Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters. The Convention will enter into force in September 2023. Given that China has not signed the Convention, this talk aims to help international business actors to plan for the ways in which JRE in China will differ and understand the prospects for China to ratify the Convention.

Dr Huang’s talk and discussion will be followed by a light sandwich lunch. Please email conflictoflaws@law.ox.ac.uk to register your attendance and any dietary requirements.

For more information see here

This event is generously supported by Twenty Essex

Le Conseil d’État met une nouvelle fois en application l’édifice législatif et jurisprudentiel de protection des données personnelles protégées par le secret de la défense nationale, mécanisme d’exception au principe du contradictoire, en marge du procès d’un djihadiste malien devant la Cour pénale internationale.

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