<p>The Member States of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) have set as their objectives, amongst others, the facilitation of cross-border movement of goods between the territories of the Member States and the promotion of the integration of Member States into the global economy through enhanced trade and investment. Different approaches to the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments by Member States and the risk of non-enforcement may lead to legal uncertainty and increased transaction cost for prospective traders, which ultimately act as non-tariff barriers to trade in the region. Trade is critical to Southern Africa, and the ideal is that barriers to trade, of which uncertainty concerning the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments among Member States is one, should be removed. Certainty, predictability, security of transactions, effective remedies and cost are important considerations in investment decision-making / and clear rules for allocating international jurisdiction and providing definite and expedited means of enforcing foreign judgments will facilitate intraregional as well as interregional trade. In addition to trade facilitation, a harmonised recognition and enforcement regime will consolidate economic and political integration in the SACU. An effective scheme for the mutual recognition and enforcement of civil judgments has been regarded as a feature of any economic integration initiative likely to achieve significant integration. While the harmonisation of the rules on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments has been given priority in other regional economic communities, in particularly the European Union, any similar effort to harmonise the rules on recognition and enforcement of Member States have been conspicuously absent in the SACU &ndash / a situation which needs to receive immediate attention. The thesis considers the approaches followed by the European Union with the Brussels Regime, the federal system of the United States of America under the &lsquo / full faith and credit clause&rsquo / the inter-state recognition scheme under the Australia and New Zealand Trans-Tasman judicial system / as well as the convention-approach of the Latin American States. It finds that the most suitable approach for the SACU is the negotiation and adoption by all SACU Member States of a multilateral convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, comparable to the 1971 Convention of the Hague Conference on Private International Law / the EU Brussels I Regulation and the Latin-American Montevideo Convention, as complemented by the La Paz Convention. It is imperative that a proposed convention should not merely duplicate previous efforts, but should be drafted in the light of the legal, political and socio-economic characteristics of the SACU Member States. The current legislative provisions in force in SACU Member States are compared and analysed, and the comparison and analysis form the basis of a proposal for a future instrument on recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments for the region. A recommended draft text for a proposed Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments for the SACU is included. This draft text could form the basis for future negotiations by SACU Member States.</p>

LL. M. (International Commercial Law) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Doctor Legum - LLD / The Member States of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) have set as their objectives, amongst others, the facilitation of cross-border movement of goods between the territories of the Member States and the promotion of the integration of Member States into the global economy through enhanced trade and investment. Different approaches to the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments by Member States and the risk of non-enforcement may lead to legal uncertainty and increased transaction cost for prospective traders, which ultimately act as non-tariff barriers to trade in the region. Trade is critical to Southern Africa, and the ideal is that barriers to trade, of which uncertainty concerning the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments among Member States is one, should be removed. Certainty, predictability, security of transactions, effective remedies and cost are important considerations in investment decision-making; and clear rules for allocating international jurisdiction and providing definite and expedited means of enforcing foreign judgments will facilitate intraregional as well as interregional trade. In addition to trade facilitation, a harmonised recognition and enforcement regime will consolidate economic and political integration in the SACU. An effective scheme for the mutual recognition and enforcement of civil judgments has been regarded as a feature of any economic integration initiative likely to achieve significant integration. While the harmonisation of the rules on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments has been given priority in other regional economic communities, in particularly the European Union, any similar effort to harmonise the rules on recognition and enforcement of Member States have been conspicuously absent in the SACU – a situation which needs to receive immediate attention. The thesis considers the approaches followed by the European Union with the Brussels Regime, the federal system of the United States of America under the ‘full faith and credit clause’; the inter-state recognition scheme under the Australia and New Zealand Trans-Tasman judicial system; as well as the convention-approach of the Latin American States. It finds that the most suitable approach for the SACU is the negotiation and adoption by all SACU Member States of a multilateral convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, comparable to the 1971 Convention of the Hague Conference on Private International Law; the EU Brussels I Regulation and the Latin-American Montevideo Convention, as complemented by the La Paz Convention. It is imperative that a proposed convention should not merely duplicate previous efforts, but should be drafted in the light of the legal, political and socio-economic characteristics of the SACU Member States. The current legislative provisions in force in SACU Member States are compared and analysed, and the comparison and analysis form the basis of a proposal for a future instrument on recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments for the region. A recommended draft text for a proposed Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments for the SACU is included. This draft text could form the basis for future negotiations by SACU Member States. / South Africa

LL.M. (International Commercial Law) / Legal judgements against unsuccessful defendants are handed down around the world on a daily basis, but their enforcement can become a complicated matter when the enforcement of the judgement must occur outside the territorial boundaries of the state from which it emanates. The purpose of this paper is to determine the enforceability of judgements of the European courts whereby the jurisdiction of the court was determined in terms of Brussels I. This paper begins with an in-depth discussion of the principles of recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements and the purpose it serves within the context of private international law. The second chapter discusses recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements in South Africa. The requirements and the criteria necessary to fulfil such requirements will be discussed under this heading. The third chapter considers the various grounds of jurisdiction available to the plaintiff in approaching a court of a European Union State. Each ground will be followed by a discussion on the enforceability of a judgement, founded on such a ground of jurisdiction, in terms of the South African principles of recognition and enforcements of foreign judgements and whether the requirements discussed in the preceding chapter have been met. Chapter 4 provides concluding remarks relating to the matters discussed in the body of this paper.

In the 20th century, Arbitration became one the most widely utilized form of dispute resolution in the field of international commerce. The use of Arbitration provides parties with more flexibility. This thesis examines one of the current trends in international arbitration - interim measures. Their purpose is to be able to react in situations when the proceedings are already pending or even before they actually commenced. They should significantly reduce the risk that the arbitral award may be frustrated or unenforceable. In these situations, it may be justifiable to interfere with parties' relationships. The thesis is focused particularly on the jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal to issue interim measures and on the role of national courts in this field. In the terms of competence of arbitral tribunals, the legal basis of their jurisdiction and conditions necessary to issue interim measures are highlighted. In the case of the role of national courts, the thesis examines their ancillary function (interim measures issued by national courts) as well as their supervisory function (review of the interim measures issued by arbitral tribunals). The most important aspect is then the enforcement of interim measures. The very latest trend - emergency arbitrator proceedings - is not excluded. The thesis...

This study is concerned with the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards under the relevant regimes in the GCC states, both local law and international conventions. The easy enforceability of arbitral awards is considered one of the main factors in the success of international commercial arbitration. Thus this thesis not only attempts a comprehensive analysis of the requirements of and procedures for recognition and enforcement of foreign awards in the GCC States, but also evaluates whether the GCC’s laws and practices comply with best international practice standards, especially as embodied in the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. The thesis comprises of seven chapters. The first chapter examines the legal framework of the GCC States, and provides a brief history of the rules governing arbitration and the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Chapter two looks at general principles regarding recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Chapter three covers jurisdictional elements in the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in the GCC States. Chapter four examines the procedural steps demanded by each state for the enforcement of an award, looking particularly at the impact of relevant international conventions on these issues. Chapter five deals with the evidence which must be tendered and the conditions that must be satisfied in order to obtain the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in the GCC States. Chapter six examines the grounds on which a respondent may apply to dismiss an application for recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award. Chapter seven then deals with the grounds on which a foreign arbitral award must be refused enforcement. The concluding chapter summarises the problems thrown up by the study, and suggests a common way forward for the legal systems of the states of the Arabian Gulf in dealing with these issues.

Este trabalho trata do funcionamento da prescrição extintiva relacionada a ações pessoais, além da decadência, no âmbito do direito internacional privado. Primeiramente é feita uma breve análise histórica e comparatista do direito de regência da prescrição em relações de caráter internacional antes de se demonstrar a solução abarcada pelo direito brasileiro: a regência pela lei que rege a obrigação (lex causae). Apesar de ser um instituto de direito civil, substantivo, a prescrição possui muitas ligações com o direito processual, uma vez que o principal efeito de sua consumação é tonar inexigível uma obrigação e, em decorrência, pôr fim a um processo. Assim, o autor detalha em seguida as questões que são regidas pela lex causae e as que são regidas pela lex fori (aqui abrangendo também a lex arbitri) em matéria de prescrição no direito brasileiro, antes de tratar minuciosamente de como se opera a exceção da ordem pública para afastar a aplicação da lex causae estrangeira em matéria de prescrição no Brasil (incluindo também regras de aplicação imediata lois de police brasileiras). Ao final, cuida-se da prescrição na homologação e execução de sentenças estrangeiras no Brasil. / This work deals with the operation of limitation periods (prescription) related to actions in personam in the domain of the conflict of laws. It starts with a historical and comparatist analysis of its governing law in international relations before the rule adopted by the Brazilian law is shown: the law of the obligation as the governing law of the limitation rules (lex causae). Although limitation of actions is considered a substantive issue under Brazilian law, it is closely connected with procedural law in many aspects, since its main effect is to render an obligation unenforceable and thus terminate a lawsuit. Therefore, the author presents in detail the issues that are governed by the lex causae and the issues that are governed by the lex fori (also comprising the lex arbitri) related to limitations under Brazilian law, before he deals thoroughly with the operation of the public policy exception to the application of a foreign lex causae in such a matter (also comprising Brazilian imperative rules lois de police). And finally, this work handles the operation of statutes of limitation in proceedings for recognition and enforcement of foreign judicial and arbitral decisions in Brazil.

Este trabalho trata do funcionamento da prescrição extintiva relacionada a ações pessoais, além da decadência, no âmbito do direito internacional privado. Primeiramente é feita uma breve análise histórica e comparatista do direito de regência da prescrição em relações de caráter internacional antes de se demonstrar a solução abarcada pelo direito brasileiro: a regência pela lei que rege a obrigação (lex causae). Apesar de ser um instituto de direito civil, substantivo, a prescrição possui muitas ligações com o direito processual, uma vez que o principal efeito de sua consumação é tonar inexigível uma obrigação e, em decorrência, pôr fim a um processo. Assim, o autor detalha em seguida as questões que são regidas pela lex causae e as que são regidas pela lex fori (aqui abrangendo também a lex arbitri) em matéria de prescrição no direito brasileiro, antes de tratar minuciosamente de como se opera a exceção da ordem pública para afastar a aplicação da lex causae estrangeira em matéria de prescrição no Brasil (incluindo também regras de aplicação imediata lois de police brasileiras). Ao final, cuida-se da prescrição na homologação e execução de sentenças estrangeiras no Brasil. / This work deals with the operation of limitation periods (prescription) related to actions in personam in the domain of the conflict of laws. It starts with a historical and comparatist analysis of its governing law in international relations before the rule adopted by the Brazilian law is shown: the law of the obligation as the governing law of the limitation rules (lex causae). Although limitation of actions is considered a substantive issue under Brazilian law, it is closely connected with procedural law in many aspects, since its main effect is to render an obligation unenforceable and thus terminate a lawsuit. Therefore, the author presents in detail the issues that are governed by the lex causae and the issues that are governed by the lex fori (also comprising the lex arbitri) related to limitations under Brazilian law, before he deals thoroughly with the operation of the public policy exception to the application of a foreign lex causae in such a matter (also comprising Brazilian imperative rules lois de police). And finally, this work handles the operation of statutes of limitation in proceedings for recognition and enforcement of foreign judicial and arbitral decisions in Brazil.

The master thesis first deals with definition of business contractual relationship (sources, formation, freedom of contract) and indicates ways of resolving disputes arising from it within the Czech legal code. Through defining the concept of cross-border element the master thesis attains on how to resolve business disputes over contractual obligations at the EU level. Core topic of thesis deals with jurisdiction in commercial matters, the law applicable to contractual obligations, alternative dispute resolution as well as the recognition and enforcement of judgements or of different rulings. The last part of the thesis deals with a practical procedure which shows how to resolve dispute between domestic businessman and foreign businessman via legal proceedings.

Arbitration proceedings as a means of dispute resolution in international law with regard to the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards Resumé Arbitration as a method of settlement of disputes settlement has enjoyed growing popularity in recent several years. Arbitration stands between other alternative means of dispute settlement and the common court trial as a alternative dispute resolution. Although negotiation, good offices, mediation, conciliation, inquiry, mini-trial, medarb or meadaloa are often used forms of the dispute settlement their awards cannot be enforced by the state authority. Those means are popular mainly in the business field where the parties are interested in the cooperation and where they aim to clear up some misunderstanding or technical problems rather than solve major disputes between them. While the dispute should be solved by the binding way the parties would choose the arbitration as a legally framed procedure. Arbitral awards are then able to be enforced and the parties also have more exact boundaries for the whole procedure. However, there is no unified definition of the arbitration, it could be described as a legal technique where the parties bring claim before one or more neutral persons (arbiters or arbitral tribunal) by whose award the parties agree to be...