Ch.7 Non-performance, s.1: Non-performance in general, Art.7.1.7

Abstract

This commentary analyses Article 7.1.7 of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC) concerning force majeure. According to Art 7.1.7, force majeure can be broadly defined as ‘the result of an impediment beyond a party's control and which that party could not reasonably have taken into account at the time of conclusion of the contract, or have avoided or overcome it or avoided or overcome its consequences on the ability to perform’. In other words, when non-performance is triggered by an event which could be qualified as force majeure, the obligor is no longer liable for damages. However, force majeure does not remove the ‘non-performance’ as such; as a consequence, the aggrieved party still has the right to terminate the stranded contract. This commentary discusses the relationship between the application of force majeure clauses and contractual practice, Art 7.1.7(1) as a default rule, consequences of force majeure, and burden of proof relating to force majeure.