Monitor Prawniczy

no. 5/2014

Foreseeability of a loss as a premise of liability for damages under the Vienna Convention

Maciej Durbas
Aplikant adwokacki w kancelarii KKG Kubas, Kos, Gaertner, doktorant w Katedrze Prawa Cywilnego Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego oraz trener drużyny Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w konkursie z międzynarodowego prawa handlowego Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
Abstract

The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the Vienna Convention; CISG) regulates many important issues in international trade. One of such issues are remedies of the creditor in case of a breach of debtor’s obligation. The utmost remedy are damages. Damages –as under the Polish Civil Code – are contingent upon the occurrence of a loss. However, under the CISG the nature of further premises for claiming damages, in particular foreseeability of a loss, is problematic. According to the first opinion, foreseeability stipulated in Article 74 of the Convention constitutes a premise for damages. This position is accepted by the author of this article. According to the second opinion, foreseeability merely affects the amount of damages. This position was adopted in the Polish Supreme Court’s judgment of 8 February 2012, ref. no. V CSK 91/11. This article contains comments on this judgment criticizing Supreme Courts’ reasoning concerning the remedies for breach of contract under the CISG.