Foreign Law Rules in French Justice: The Basic Problems and Challenges

Abstract

Private international law plays an important role in defining applicable law and regulating private international law relations. Foreign law is significantly different from local law. Judges do not have the right to change the content of foreign law, they simply have the opportunity to reject or apply foreign law. When a judge is obliged to make a decision based on the rules of national law in the process of legal proceedings, it is clear that the law of a foreign country can- not enjoy the same status. The issue of determining the content of foreign law and its application remains one of the most problematic issues in the private international law of countries around the world. French case law has gone through a difficult and controversial path to formulate a decisive position on the application of foreign law. Resolving this problem was especially important for France, as the courts of this country have to deal with a large number of international litigation cases. The basis for the application of foreign law is the choice of French private international law rules, as a particular legal relationship is subject to regulation by a foreign legal system. Thus, French courts apply foreign law to administer high-quality justice, as finding the right solution lies in applying foreign law.