Applicability of the Vienna Sale Agreement (CISG) for Advanced Purchase Agreements of COVID-19 Vaccines in EU Member States

Abstract

The European Commission has signed advanced purchase agreements with various vaccine manufacturers for the production, purchase and supply of the COVID-19 vaccine in the EU. Some parts of the agreement texts with AstraZeneca, CurevacAg and Pfizer Inc./BioNTech have been blacked out. In these agreements, it is understood that Belgian courts are competent and Belgian law is chosen. In a dispute, it is possible for the competent courts to apply CISG since Belgium is a party to the CISG. Even if choice of law hasn’t been made, the fact that the workplaces of all parties to these ageements are party to CISG, makes the CISG applicable. This study evaluates the applicability of the CISG to advanced purchase agreements (especially made with AstraZeneca) in EU Member States.