Conditions and effects of the Force Majeure in the 2016 amendments to the French Civil Code, and use it to eliminate the shortcomings of the Iranian legal system

Safaii, Seyyed Hosein; Javaherkalam,, Mohammad Hadi

doi:10.22054/jplr.2022.68563.2688

Conditions and effects of the Force Majeure in the 2016 amendments to the French Civil Code, and use it to eliminate the shortcomings of the Iranian legal system

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyyed Hosein Safaii ¹

Mohammad Hadi Javaherkalam, ²

¹ : Professor, Department of Private and Islamic Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Iran.

² Assistant Professor, Department of Private Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabataba'i University,Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/jplr.2022.68563.2688

Abstract

In this article, the conditions and effects of the force majeure in the amendments to the French Civil Code adopted in 2016, in order to use the solutions of the French legislature to eliminate the shortcomings of the Iranian legal system have been studied by descriptive-analytical research method. The main question is what are the conditions and characteristics of the force majeure and what is the criterion for distinguishing them, either personal or relative, and what effect does force majeure have on contracts, contractual obligations and contractual liability? A comparative study of Iranian and French law shows that the inevitability (impossibility of eliminating and repelling the accident) and the unpredictability of the accident, with a kind of relative criterion, and also the impossibility of executing the contract, with an objective criterion, are conditions for the realization of force majeure; But the externality of the accident is not an independent condition and refers to the same impossibility of preventing the accident (not being avoidable). Also, contrary to French law, the Iranian legislature did not anticipate the effects of the force majeure on the contract itself and the contractual obligations, and the effect of force majeure on contractual liability was also incompletely stated, which has led to differences between judicial decisions. Therefore, it is suggested that the legislator, in the form of a Civil Act amendment plan, in Article 227 stipulates the conditions for the realization (characteristics and criteria of distinction) of force majeure and in Article 229, the effects of force majeure on the contract and contractual obligations and compensation for non-implementation or Specify the delay in fulfilling the obligation.

Keywords

force majeure

externality

unavoidability (irresistibility)

unpredictability

impossibility of contract execution

contractual responsibility

contract dissolution

Suspension of obligation performance

Carbonnier, J., Droit civil, t. 4, Les obligation, (Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 7^e éd, 1972).

Josserand, L., Cours de droit civil positif français, T. II, Théorie générale des obligations, Principaux contrats du droit civil, (Paris, 3^e éd, 1939).

Jourdain, P., “Le rôle de l'imprévisibilité de la cause étrangère”, RTD Civ. 1994, 871.

Malaurie, Ph., Aynès, L., et Stoffel-Munck, Ph., Droit des obligations, (Paris: LGDJ. 9^e éd, 2019).

Marty, G. et Rynaud, P., Droit civil, Les Obligations, (Paris, t. II, 1^re Vol, 1962).

Mazeaud, H., L. et J., Traité théorique et pratique de la responsabilité civile, Par: Anderé Tunc, (Paris: Montchrestien, 6^é éd, 1965).

Mazeaud, H., L. et J., Leçons de droit civil. T. 2, Vol. 1, obligations, théorie générale, Par: François Chabas, (Paris: Montchestien, 1991).

Planiol, M. et Ripert, G., Traité pratique de droit civil français, T. VI: Obligations, par Paul Esmein, T. VII, Par Esmein et Radouant, (Paris: L.G.D.J. 1952).

Ripert, G. et Boulanger, J., Droit civil, t. 2, Obligations, (Paris: L.G.D.J., 1957).

Terré, F.; Simler, Ph. et Lequette, Y., Droit civil: Les obligations, (Paris: Dalloz, 7^e éd, 1999).

Terré, F., et al., les obligations, (Paris: Précis Dalloz, 12^e éd, 2019).

Weill, A. et Terré, F., Droit civil, les obligations, (Paris: Dalloz. 1975).

Sites internet

Amblard, C., Quelles obligations contractuelles en période de crise sanitaire? Dans: https://institut-isbl.fr/quelles-obligations-contractuelles-en-periode-de-crise-sanitaire.

Bailly, A. et Haranger, X. COVID-19 et force majeure en droit français. Dans: https://www.morganlewis.com/fr/pubs/2020/04/covid-19-and-force-majeure-under-french-law-cv19-lf.

Barry, M., Coronavirus et force majeure dans les contrats: ce qu’il faut savoir. Dans: https://www.netpme.fr/conseil/coronavirus-et-force-majeure-dans-les-contrats-ce-quil-faut-savoir.

Covid-19 et dispense d’audience, https://actu.dalloz-etudiant.fr/le-cas-du-mois/article/covid-19-et-dispense-daudience/h/530efec43c01fcec17897a4f7112f115.html

COVID-19: impact sur les contrats commerciaux de droit français, 23 mars 2020, Dans: https://www.kslaw.com/attachments/000/007/716/original/ca032320b.pdf?1584992574.

Depadt, V., L’impossibilité d’exécuter un contrat en raison du Covid 19: le recours à la force majeure, Dans: https://www.espace-ethique.org/ressources/article/limpossibilite-dexecuter-un-contrat-en-raison-du-covid-19-le-recours-la-force.

Diaz, C., Le Covid 19 constitue-t-il un cas de force majeure pouvant hustifier l’inexécution d’une obligation contractuelle? Dans: https://www.village-justice.com/articles/covid19-constitue-cas-force-majeure-pouvant-justifier-inexecution-une,35480.html.

Gastebled, É., Le clair-obscur de la force majeure en matière contractuelle face au Covid-19, Dans: https://www.actu-juridique.fr/civil/obligations-contrats/le-clair-obscur-de-la-force-majeure-en-matiere-contractuelle-face-au-covid-19.

Gauger, G.; Rizzo, V. et Le Gallo, J., La force majeure au temps du Covid-19, Dans: https://www.lemondedudroit.fr/decryptages/69456-force-majeure-covid-19.html.

Glaser, Ph. et Pinto, L., La force majeure et l’imprévision à l'épreuve du COVID-19, Dans: https://www.taylorwessing.com/fr/insights-and-events/insights/2020/03/la-force-majeure-et-l-imprevision-a-lepreuve-du-covid-19.

Grynbaum, L., Force majeure et épidémie de COVID -19: une première décision vient d’être rendue, Dans: https://blog.leclubdesjuristes.com/force-majeure-et-epidemie-de-covid-19-les-premieres-decisions-viennent-detre-rendues.

Haddad, E., Le coronavirus et ses conséquences sur les contrats, cas de force majeure ou cause d’imprévision? Dans: https://www.village-justice.com/articles/coronavirus-ses-consequences-sur-les-contrats-commerciaux-cas-force-majeure,34373.html.

L’impact du Covid-19 dans les relations contractuelles, MEDEF, Direction juridique, CF 10.03.2020, Dans: https://www.ania.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Note-Coronavirus-relations-contractuelles-medef-100320.pdf.

Landivaux, L., Contrats et coronavirus: un cas de force majeure? Ça dépen… Dans: https://www.dalloz-actualite.fr/node/contrats-et-coronavirus-un-cas-de-force-majeure-ca-depend.

Rocheleau, Y.; Laflammeet, F. et Timothée, J., La COVID-19 et son impact sur les contrats, Dans: https://www.lavery.ca/fr/publications/nos-publications/3211-la-covid-19-et-son-impact-sur-les-contrats-obligations-contractuelles.htmls-publications/3211-la-covid-19-et-son-impact-sur-les-contrats-obligations-contractuelles.html.

Rondot, M., Coronavirus, force majeure et contrats: quels sont les impacts? Dans: https://www.captaincontrat.com/gestion/covid/coronavirus-force-majeure-imprevision-contrat-me-rondot.

Touzet, Ph. et Dami, M., Covid-19: une application pratique de la force majeure, Dans: https://www.parabellum.pro/Covid-19-une-application-pratique-de-la-force-majeure_a856.html.

Verroust-Valliot, C. et Pelletierle, S., L’impact du covid-19 sur les contrats de droit privé, Dans: https://www.dalloz-actualite.fr/node/l-impact-du-covid-19-sur-contrats-de-droit-prive.

References

In Persian

Jafari Langroudi, Mohammad Jaafar, Rights of Obligations, (Tehran: Ganj Danesh, 4^th ed., 2010). (In Persian)

Katouzian, Nasser, General Rules of Contracts, Vol. 4: Execution of Contracts, (Tehran: Publishing Company, 5^th ed., 2008). (In Persian)

Katouzian, Nasser, General Rules of Contracts, Vol. 5: Termination of Contract, (Tehran: Publishing Company, 5^th ed., 2008). (In Persian)

Katouzian, Nasser, legal actions (Contract - unilateral obligation), (Tehran: Publishing Company, 9^th ed., 2004). (In Persian)

Safai, Seyed Hossein, General rules of contracts, (Tehran: Mizan, 32nd edition, 2020). (In Persian)

Safaii, Seyed Hossein et al., International Sales Laws, (Tehran: Tehran University Press, 8^thed., 2018). (In Persian)

Safaii, Seyed Hossein; and Hosseini, Seyyed Ehsan, Persons and Property, (Tehran: Mizan, 29^th ed., 2020). (In Persian)

Safaii, Seyed Hossein; and Javaherkalam, Mohammad Hadi, Advanced Civil Law, Vol. 2, (Tehran, Publishing Company, 2021). (In Persian)

Safaii, Seyyed Hossein, Essays on Civil Rights and Comparative Laws, (Tehran: Mizan, ^2nd edi., 2007). (In Persian)

Shahidi, Mehdi, Effects of contracts and obligations, (Tehran: Majd, 3^rd ed., 2007). (In Persian)

In Arabic

Subhani, Jaafar, Al-Mukhtar fi Ahkam al-Khiyar, (Qom: Imam Sadiq Foundation, 1993). (In Arabic)

Tusi (Sheikh), Muhammad, Al-Istibsar, (Tehran: Islamic Book House, Vol. 3, 1970). (In Arabic)

Tusi (Sheikh), Muhammad, Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, (Tehran: Islamic Book House, Vol. 7, 4^th ed., 1987). (In Arabic)

Amili (Horr), Muhammad, Wasa’il al-Shia, (Qom: Founder of Aal al-Bayt, Vol. 19, 1989 ). (In Arabic)

Issa, Haitham Al-Sayed Ahmad, “The Applicability of the Force Majeure Theory to the Corona Virus (SARS-Cov-2) Pandemic in the Context of Civil Contracts”, (No date), in:

https://jdl.journals.ekb.eg/article_174403_7deb604bb8cc8be0ba3c627c6cb3379a.pdf (In Arabic)

Koleini, Muhammad, al-Kafi, (Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, Vol. 5, 4^th ed., 1987). (In Arabic)