Hague Conference on Private International Law
Encyclopedia
The Hague Conference on Private International Law (or HCCH, for Hague Conference/Conférence de la Haye) is the preeminent organisation in the area of private international law.

HCCH was formed in 1893 to "work for the progressive unification of the rules of private international law". It has pursued this goal by creating and assisting in the implementation of multilateral convention
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...

s promoting the harmonisation
Harmonisation
Harmonisation may refer to:* In music, the implementation of harmony, usually by using chords, including harmonized scales* Harmonisation of law, the process of establishing common laws and standards across the European Union...

 of conflict of laws
Conflict of laws
Conflict of laws is a set of procedural rules that determines which legal system and which jurisdiction's applies to a given dispute...

 principles in diverse subject matters within private international law. Seventy-one nations are currently members of the Hague Conference, including the United States, Brazil, Russia, India, China and all 27 member states of the European Union (the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 itself is also a member of the Conference, so the total number of members is listed as 72 on the HCCH's website).

Recent developments

The 20th Diplomatic Session of the Conference, held from 14 to 28 June 2005, saw two major developments:
  • The statute of the Conference was amended (for the first time in over 50 years) to expand the possibility of membership to Regional Economic Integration Organisations such as the European Union
    European Union
    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

    ;
  • The Conference concluded and opened for ratification
    Ratification
    Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...

     the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, a project which had been in negotiation for nearly 15 years. States applying this instrument
    Legal instrument
    Legal instrument is a legal term of art that is used for any formally executed written document that can be formally attributed to its author, records and formally expresses a legally enforceable act, process, or contractual duty, obligation, or right, and therefore evidences that act, process, or...

     agree to recognize and enforce decisions reached by courts of another signatory state if the dispute was governed by a valid choice of court agreement concluded between the parties to the dispute.

Members

State Member since
 Albania
 Argentina
 Australia
 Austria
 Belarus
 Belgium
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Brazil
 Kingdom of Bulgaria
 Canada
 Chile
 Mainland China
 Costa Rica
 Independent State of Croatia
 Cyprus
 Czech Republic
 Denmark
 Ecuador
 Egypt
 Estonia
 European Union
 Finland
 Early Modern France
 Georgia (country)
 Germany
 Greece
 Hungary
 Iceland
 India
 Republic of Ireland
 Israel
 Italy
 Japan
 Jordan
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 Luxembourg
 Malaysia
 Malta
 Mauritius
 Mexico
 Monaco
 Kingdom of Montenegro
 Morocco
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Norway
 Panama
 Paraguay
 Peru
 Philippines
 Poland
 Portugal
 South Korea
 Republic of Macedonia
 Kingdom of Romania
 Russia
 Serbia
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 South Africa
 Spain
 Sri Lanka
 Suriname
 Sweden
 Switzerland
 Turkey
 Ukraine
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Uruguay
 Venezuela

The Permanent Bureau

Located in a mansion on Scheveningseweg near the Peace Palace
Peace Palace
The Peace Palace is a building situated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is often called the seat of international law because it houses the International Court of Justice , the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the extensive Peace Palace Library.In addition...

 in the Hague, the Permanent Bureau is the Conference's secretariat.
its Secretary General is Mr J.H.A. (Hans) van Loon.

See also



External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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