Hague Conference on Private International Law
The purpose of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HccH) is to work for the broad unification of the rules of private international law. HccH develops and supports international conventions in the domains of protection of children, family and property relations, legal cooperation and litigation, as well as commercial and finance law.
Current Projects
Chair of the ICC Commission on Commercial Law and Practice Fabio Bortolotti, is currently part of The Hague Conference working group on Choice of Law In International Contracts. Mr Bortolotti regularly reports the activities of the group back to the commission.
For further information on this work please visit: http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=text.display&tid=49
Past Projects
Hague Judgments Project
Hague Judgments Project aims at a global convention on jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters. ICC appreciates the decision of HccH to focus the prepared convention on the choice of court provisions between businesses (B2B). The Draft Hague Convention on Exclusive Choice of Court Agreements achieves more predictability and certainty in international contracts. It has the potential to become valuable for companies engaged in cross-border transactions.
To contribute to the effort of HccH and in particular to the work of the informal working group on The Hague Judgments Project, the ICC Task Force on Jurisdiction and Applicable Law conducted a survey among businesses about business practices with regard to choice of court agreements.
Once the new Convention enters into force, ICC is prepared to support HccH and its member states in raising awareness about this new legal instrument and its benefits to companies, as well as their legal advisers around the world.
International Conference on the Legal Aspects of an e-Commerce Transaction
In October 2004 HccH, ICC and the Dutch Government hosted an international conference in The Hague on the legal issues raised by e-Commerce. The programme not only focused on the areas of private law and private international law, but other areas such as international tax law. The conference raised general and political awareness of the vast range of legal questions raised by e-Commerce (e.g. pre-contractual phase, conclusion of contract, its performance and post-contractual phase) and provided a forum for dialogue between legislators, academics, lawyers and businesses. Furthermore, the conference assessed whether the current legal framework reflected business realities. As a result, possibilities for coordination among the different actors have been identified.