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‘Apatride’ Associations: Aspects of Private International Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2009

P. Vlas
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Extract

Every legal system has its own forms of legal person. Dutch law knows of four types, and they are stated in Book 2 BW (Civil Code): the association and the foundation, the public and the private company with limited liability. These are legal persons because the law provides that they possess legal personality (Art. 3 Book 2 BW).

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Netherlands International Law Review , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , May 1990 , pp. 37 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © T.M.C. Asser Press 1990

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References

1. Hendriquez, E. Cohen, Het Vennootschapsstatuut, thesis Amsterdam (GU) (1961) pp. 172–173Google Scholar.

2. The Implementation Act entered into force on 7 October 1959 (Stb. No. 347). Article 1 reads:

‘The law of the Netherlands does not take account of the actual seat within the meaning of Article 2 of the Convention on recognition of the legal personally of foreign companies, associations and foundations concluded at The Hague on 1 June 1956.’

Due to insufficient ratifications (five were required), this Hague Convention never entered into force.

3. See further on this, Vlas, P., Rechtspersonen in het internationaal privaatrecht, thesis Leiden (1982)Google Scholar.

4. Ibid., pp. 38–43.

5. See Lemaire, W.L.G., Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht (Hoofdlijnen) (1968) p. 203Google Scholar.

6. According to van der Grinten, W.C.L., ‘Erkenning van vennootschappen en rechtspersonen in de Europese Economische Gemeenschap’, SEW (1966) p. 208Google Scholar.

7. See also Asser-Van der Grinten II (De Rechtspersoon) (1986) 6th edn. no. 64Google Scholar.

8. See Goldman, B., ‘Le droit des sociétés internationales’, Clunet (1963) pp. 320–388Google Scholar. See further on this subject: Calon, J.-P., ‘La société internationale, Éléments d'une théorie générale’, Clunet (1961) pp. 694–733Google Scholar; Marty, G., ‘Les sociétés internationales’, RabelsZ (1962) pp. 73–88Google Scholar; Duden, K., Internationale Aktiengesellschaften', RabelsZ (1962) pp. 89–111Google Scholar; Mann, F.A., ‘International Corporations and National Law’, 42 BYIL (1967) pp. 145–174Google Scholar; Kahn, P., ‘International Companies’, Journal of World Trade Law (1969) pp. 498–521Google Scholar.

9. On this, Grossfeld, B., Internationales Unternehmensrecht (1986) p. 280Google Scholar. According to some writers, including Mann (loc. cit. n. 8, p. 146), Saarlor comprises two companies with two seats and two nationalities but with identical articles of association.

10. Goldman, , loc. cit. n. 8, pp. 342, 344Google Scholar.

11. Politis, N., ‘La condition juridique des associations Internationales’, Clunet (1923) pp. 466, 467Google Scholar; see also the same author's ‘Rapport préliminiaire’, 30 Annuaire de l'Institute de Droit International (1923) p. 123Google Scholar.

12. Arminjon, P., ‘Les Sociétés, les Associations et les Fondations en Droit International Privé’, Revue de Droit International et de Législation Comparée (1927) nos. 4, 5, 6, Extrait (1928) p. 54Google Scholar.

13. See, inter alia, Goldman, , loc. cit. n. 8, Clunet (1963) pp. 340, 342Google Scholar.

14. Ibid., p.340.

15. Grossfeld, B., Internationales Unternehmensrecht (1986) p. 282Google Scholar.

16. The international nature of a foundation or association according to Dutch law cannot affect the application of Dutch law to such foundation or association. See District Court The Hague, 21 March 1935, NJ 1936, 191, where the ‘Nederlandsche Vereeniging ter Verbreiding der Soejibeweging’ was plaintiff. The defendant relied in argument on a provision in the constitution and on the fact that ‘it would not be open to the District Court to interpret these provisions, drawn up for an association based, according to Eastern views, on the leadership principle, in accordance with Western views’. The Court rejected that argument on the ground that the ‘Eastern Nature” pleaded in argument did not affect the application of Dutch law ‘where an association, founded in the Netherlands by Dutchmen according to Dutch law is subject to the law applicable in the Netherlands’.

17. See Struycken, A.V.M., ‘Verenigingen als wereldburger: “qua patet orbis”, in the festschrift for van der Grinten, W.C.L., Goed en Trouw (1984) p. 278Google Scholar; further, Rabel, E., The Conflict of Laws II (1960) p. 16Google Scholar.

18. See for the setting up of the (precursor to the) ILA and the Institut de Droit International, Jitta, D. Josephus in his thesis Het vonnis van faillietverklaring in net Internationaal Privaatrecht, Leiden (1880) pp. 7–16Google Scholar; see further in the ILA's Report of the sixty-second conference, Seoul (1986) p. 42 et seq.; Niboyet, J.-P., Traité de droit international privé français, 2nd edn. (1951) II, p. 351Google Scholar. A number of international associations are mentioned in Kropholler, J., Internationales Einheitsrecht (1975) pp. 85–92Google Scholar.

19. Algemeen Dagblad (20 June 1987).

20. Politis, loc. cit. n. 11, p. 472.

21. Egli, H., Die Sitzverlegung juristischer Personen im Internationalen Privatrecht, thesis Zurich (1965) p. 51Google Scholar.

22. Rabel, , op. cit. n. 17, p. 16Google Scholar is of the opinion that international associations ‘have either to seek separate incorporation in the several states or to be content with acquiring personality in one state only’.

23. Struycken, , lot cit. n. 17, p. 273Google Scholar.

24. Ibid., pp. 288, 289.

25. Asser-Van der Grinten II (De Rechtspersoon), 6th edn. (1986) no. 65, p. 55Google Scholar.

26. Jitta, D. Josephus, Internationaal Privaatrecht (1916) p. 302Google Scholar.

27. See on this, Struycken, , loc. cit. n. 17, pp. 279–286Google Scholar. Critical comments on the existence of a lex mercatoria are made by: Batiffol, H., ‘La loi appropriée au contrat’, in Le Droit des Relations Économiques Internationales, Éludes offertes à Berthold Goldman (1982) pp. 1–13Google Scholar as well as ibid., Lagarde, P., ‘Approche critique de la lex mercatoria’, pp. 125–150Google Scholar.

28. According also to Struycken, , loc. cit. n. 17, p. 288Google Scholar; contra, Goldman, B., ‘Le droit des societes internationales’, Clunet (1963) p. 372 et seqGoogle Scholar.

29. See on the closed system, Rechtspersonen (loose-leaf). P. van Schilfgaarde, Algemene Inleiding, para. 3, annotation 6.

30. T.M.C. Asser Institute Card System no. 7866; 21 NILR (1974) p. 321; Henriquez, E. Cohen, ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1977) 5374, p. 41 (= IPRO 1973–1979, part II, pp. 82, 83)Google Scholar; Vlas, , op. cit. n. 3, pp. 143, 144Google Scholar. See also the conclusion of AG Warner in the ECJ decision of 12 December 1974, Case 36/74, Jurisprudence 1974, p. 1405 et seq. The AG pointed out that the UCI was set up in Paris in 1900 and re-located its bureau to Geneva in 1967 (p. 1424).

31. Cohen Henriquez, loc. cit. n. 30.

32. T.M.C. Asser Institute Card System no. 11 742; P. Vlas, in 27 NILR (1980) pp. 252, 253; also at, ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1983) 5664, pp. 557–559Google Scholar (= IPRO 1973–1979, part II, pp. 90–94); again at thesis Leiden, , op. cit. n. 3, pp. 144, 145Google Scholar.

33. Compare Supreme Court, 9 September 1947, NJ 1947, 571.

34. NJ 1983, 420 with annotation by J.C. Schultsz; F. Molenaar, TVVS 1981, p. 141; Vlas, , op. cit. n. 3 pp. 145, 146Google Scholar; also at ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1985) 5764, pp. 797, 798Google Scholar.

35. Also Molenaar, loc. cit. n. 34. See in this connection the letter from the Legal Counsel, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of 28 January 1982 to the Secretary-General of the Iran-US Claims Tribunal concerning the legal personality of the Tribunal, reprinted in 14 NYIL (1983) no. 3.211, pp. 263–264. Here it was noted that the FIDE case before the Court of Appeal Amsterdam ‘may be considered as indicative of a tendency to adduce practical grounds for the recognition of the legal personality of an international, in casunon-governmental, body whose legal personality is not based on any national jurisdiction….

See on the legal personality of the Tribunal, also the annotation by P.J.I.M. de Waart to Supreme Court, 20 December 1985, NJ 1986, 438.

36. T.M.C. Asser Institute Card System no. 12 345: Vlas, P., ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1983) 5664, p. 557 (= IPRO 1973–1979, part II, pp. 89, 90)Google Scholar.

37. Voskuil, C.C.A., ‘Persona standi in iudicio dans le droit international neerlandais de la procedure – évolution récente’, in Unification, Liber Amicorum J.G. Sauveplanne (1984) pp. 277–297Google Scholar.

38. District Court Haarlem, 12 May 1970, NJ 1970, 394, see also Henriquez, E. Cohen, ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1974) 5283, pp. 756, 757 (= IPRO 1970–1972, pp. 90, 91)Google Scholar; District Court Arnhem, 21 October 1982, NIPR 1983, 214, see also Vlas, P., ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1985) 5764, pp. 798, 799Google Scholar.

See further Rooij, R. van and Polak, M.V., Private International Law in the Netherlands (1987) p. 170Google Scholar: ‘The capacity to appear in court … is determined in accordance with the law of the legal entity's place of incorporation’.

39. See also Vlas, , op. cit. n. 3, thesis Leiden (1982) p. 149Google Scholar; also at ‘Overzicht der Nederlandse Rechtspraak IPR’, WPNR (1985) 5764, p. 798Google Scholar following the decision of the Court of Appeal Amsterdam, 21 January 1981 concerning the FIDE.

40. This distinction had already been drawn by van der Esch, B., Vergelijkend Vennootschapsrecht (1953) p. 244Google Scholar; see also Tebbens, H. Duintjer in his intervention following the paper delivered to the NVIR 1980, ‘Verslag Algemene Ledenvergadering’, Mededelingen NVIR no. 82 (05 1981) p. 12Google Scholar and the reaction thereto of Diephuis, J.H., Verslag, p. 19Google Scholar.

In respect of the decision of the President, District Court Utrecht, 11 May 1973 concerning the UCI, Voskuil, C.C.A. and Tebbens, H. Duintjer, ‘The Position of Legal Persons Acting Abroad (Netherlands International Law Relating to Companies)’, Essays on the Law of International Trade, Hague-Zagreb Colloquium, Zagreb Session 1974 (1976) p. 132Google Scholar, observed:‘… it would have been preferable not to create or recognize a legal person “in the air” but to limit the decision to the issue at stake, viz., to the question of standing’.

41. Goldman, B., ‘Les droits des sociétés internationales’, Clunet (1963) p. 378Google Scholar.

42. See also my thesis, op. cit. n. 3, p. 147.

43. Politis, loc. cit. n. 11, Clunet (1923) p. 474; also at 30 Annuaire de l'Institut de Droit International (1923) p. 131.

44. Arminjon, , loc. cit. n. 12, p. 55Google Scholar.

45. Bastid, S., ‘Report et projet de Resolutions’, 43 Annuaire de l'Institut de Droit International, Bath Session (1950) vol. I, pp. 547–630Google Scholar.

46. 43 Annuaire de l'Institut de Droit International, Bath Session (1950) vol. II, pp. 383–387Google Scholar.

47. Struycken, , loc. cit. n. 17, p. 271Google Scholar.

48. 43 Annuaire de l'Institut de Droit International, Bath Session (1950) vol. I, p. 567Google Scholar.

49. In the final version of the resolution the first and second paragraphs of the preamble are as follows:

‘Reconnaissant qu'une activité d'une importance internationale exceptionnelle est exercée par des associations et des fondations d'initiative privée;

Constatant que leur situation juridique est parfois incertaine et que des difficultés légales et administratives entravent leur activité internationale, qu'elles soient constituées conformément à une loi nationale ou qu'elles soient créées simplement par convention; …’.

The opening sentence of Art. 3 in the final version reads as follows:

‘La reconnaissance de droits par application de l'article lerpeut intervenir quel que soit le régime juridique de l'association en cause.’

50. ETS No. 124. The convention has not yet entered into force. According to information supplied by the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs the following countries have signed the convention as of 15 June 1988: Austria, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Little attention has as yet been paid to the convention in legal literature. The convention is cited by Dowrick, F., ‘Council of Europe: Juristic Activity 1974–86, Part I’, ICLQ (1987) p. 636 note 15 and p. 639Google Scholar.

51. Art. 9 of the Convention of 24 April 1986 reads: ‘No reservation may be made to this Convention’.

52. Convention on the recognition of the legal personality of foreign companies, associations and foundations, The Hague, 1 June 1956, Trb. 1956 No. 131; EEG Convention on the mutual recognition of companies and legal persons, Brussels, 29 February 1968, Trb. 1968 No. 113. See on both conventions, neither of which have entered into force, my thesis, op. cit. n. 3, p. 85 et seq.

53. See Henriquez, E. Cohen, IPR Trends (1980) p. 173Google Scholar.

54. In as much as the Convention of 24 April 1986 adopted in Art. 4 a formulation derived from Art. 11(2) of the European Convention on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms (ECHR), the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights can be used as a guideline for the interpretation of Art. 4 of the convention on NGOs.

55. Grossfeld, B., Internationales Gesellschaftsrecht, Band Ia, Lieferung 2 der Sonderausgabe aus von Staudingers, J., Kommentar zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch (1981) no. 530Google Scholar.