The Rome II Regulation on the Law Applicable to Non-Contractual Obligations

521 Pages·2009·11.72 MB·English

by  John Ahern

Th e Rome II Regulation on the Law Applicable to
Non-Contractual Obligations

Th e Rome II Regulation on the
Law Applicable to
Non-Contractual Obligations
A New International Litigation Regime
Edited by
John Ahern
William Binchy
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2009
Th is book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Th e Rome II regulation on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations : a new
international litigation regime / edited by John Ahern, William Binchy.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-90-04-17193-0 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Confl ict of laws—Torts—European Union countries. 2. Confl ict of laws—Unjust
enrichment—European Union countries. 3. Confl ict of laws—Torts—Europe. 4. Confl ict of
laws—Unjust enrichment—Europe. I. Ahern, John. II. Binchy, William.
KJE983.T67R66 2009
340.9’3094—dc22
2009001104
ISBN 978 90 04 17193 0
Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV
i ncorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke
Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Th e Copyright Clearance
Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
Fees are subject to change.
printed in the netherlands
Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................. ix
List of Contributors ................................................................................ xv
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................... xxi
Case Index .............................................................................................. xxiii
Legislation Index ..................................................................................... xxxv
Introduction: Rome II – A Parliamentary Tale ...................................... 1
Diana Wallis
Rome II: A True Piece of Community Law ........................................... 9
Johan Meeusen
Has the Forum Lost Its Grip? ................................................................ 25
Janeen Carruthers
Rome II: Will it Prevent Forum Shopping and Take Account of the
Consequences of Choice of Law? ........................................................... 47
Russell J. Weintraub
Th e Scope of ‘Non-Contractual Obligations’ .......................................... 57
Andrew Scott
Th e Signifi cance of Close Connection .................................................... 85
Richard Fentiman
Freedom to Choose the Applicable Law in Tort – Articles 14 and 4(3)
of the Rome II Regulation .................................................................. 113
Th omas Kadner Graziano
Th e Application of Multiple Laws Under the Rome II Regulation ........ 133
Alex Mills
Article 4 and Traffi c Accidents ............................................................... 153
Jan von Hein
vi Contents
Product Liability under the Rome II Regulation .................................... 175
Peter Stone
Remedies and the Rome II Regulation ................................................... 199
Adam Rushworth
Th e Treatment of Environmental Damage in Regulation Rome II ........ 219
Michael Bogdan
Rome II and Choice of Law for Unjust Enrichment ............................. 231
Stephen G.A. Pitel
Rome II: Implications for Irish Tort Litigation ...................................... 257
Liz Heff ernan
Th e Limits of Rome II ........................................................................... 277
Gernot Biehler
Appendices .............................................................................................. 289
Regulation No. 864/2007 on the Law Applicable to Non-
Contractual Obligations (Rome II) ................................................ 291
Commission of the European Communities Proposal for a
Regulation on the Law Applicable to Non-Contractual
Obligations, COM (2003) 427 fi nal 2003/0168 (COD) ............... 301
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the
Proposal for a Regulation on the Law Applicable to
Non-Contractual Obligations, COM (2003) 427 fi nal 2003/0168
(COD), 2004/C 241/01 ................................................................. 341
European Parliament Committee on Legal Aff airs, Report on the
proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the
Council on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations
(“Rome II”) (COM(2003)0427–C5 0338/2003–
2003/0168(COD)), A6–0211/2005 ............................................... 349
Amended Proposal for a European Parliament and Council
Regulation on the Law Applicable to Non-Contractual
Obligations, COM 2006 83 fi nal ................................................... 393
Contents vii
European Parliament Recommendation for Second Reading on the
Council common position for adopting a regulation of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the Law Applicable to
Non-Contractual Obligations, 9751/7/2006–C6–0317/2006–
2003/0168(COD) ........................................................................... 417
Joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee of a Regulation
on the Law Applicable to Non-Contractual Obligations,
2003/0168(COD) C6–0142/2007 PE-CONS3619/07 .................. 439
Index ....................................................................................................... 473

Foreword
Th e Rome II Regulation off ers a fascinating opportunity for analysis. As the
product of a political process, rather than emerging from an ivory tower, it
lacks the unworldly elegance and sophistication of pure intellect untouched by
the needs and compromises of human life. It deals with a complex area of law
embracing a diversity of normative and policy perspectives within Europe and
throughout the wider world. Th ose diff erences defeated the ingenuity of the
framers of the Regulation in the limited, but important, areas of defamation
and privacy. What remains is still a wide-ranging measure, designed to off er a
workable solution for courts but also for legal advisers who must be in a posi-
tion to off er clients guidance with some degree of confi dence.
Th e main features of the Regulation therefore tend more towards the black
letter than broad judicial discretion. Th e general rule, in Article 4, prescribing the
lex loci damni as the applicable law, may be displaced in only limited circum-
stances. Dépeçage is frowned on. Rules for specifi c torts and other non-contrac-
tual obligations do not open the door for discretion very far. Underlying state
policies, whilst not completely ignored, are not given a central role. Specifi city,
the Regulation’s strength, also represents a weakness. Th e Regulation’s troubled
gestation has left obvious defi ciencies, particularly in the lack of positive provi-
sion for a number of potentially signifi cant cross-border torts: defamation and
nuclear damage, for example.
If the Regulation tilts towards specifi city, this does not mean that it has resolved
all questions. Th e Regulation inevitably provokes questions of interpretation and
invites debates about the merits of policy choices. Th e contributors to this book
have accepted these challenges. Th ey provide expert analysis of the provisions
of the Regulation and expose the text to rigorous interrogation.
We are very grateful to Diana Wallis, M.E.P., for her insights as Rapporteur
into the highly political process whereby the original Commission proposal
ultimately emerged, somewhat transformed, as a Regulation. She reminds read-
ers of the unfi nished business in relation to defamation, unfair competition and
traffi c accidents.
Johan Meeusen assesses the Regulation as a piece of Community law. In an
elaborate analysis, he commends it for developing choice-of-law rules which
range well beyond a simple affi rmation of the ‘country of origin’ rule.