El valor jurídico de los Incoterms® en el contrato de compraventa internacional de mercancías: ley aplicable y competencia judicial internacional

Abstract

[spa] El propósito de esta tesis es el estudio de la naturaleza legal de los, recientemente actualizados, Incoterms® en el ámbito del conflicto de leyes y de jurisdicciones en el marco del contrato de compraventa internacional de mercaderías. La Cámara de Comercio Internacional, como organización representante del mundo empresarial, se ha ocupado, desde 1936, de recopilar y actualizar los principales términos comerciales de forma regular para adaptarse a los cambios en el comercio Internacional. Las características de los Incoterms® reflejan la esencia de la entidad creadora que promueve la autorregulación en el ámbito profesional. Su actuación no solo se limita a recoger las prácticas más consolidadas en el ámbito mercantil, sino que pretende ser proactiva e impulsar el comercio. De esta forma se acerca al fenómeno de la denominada lex mercatoria, que busca la regulación adecuada del comercio internacional. Los Incoterms son relevantes tanto en el contexto económico como en el jurídico. Son reglas que se encuentran integradas en el marco legal como parte del contrato de compraventa internacional de mercaderías e interactúan con toda la normativa aplicable a este contrato, tanto de origen formal como informal. La presente tesis aborda el ámbito normativo en el que se insertan y analiza el lugar que ocupan estos términos comerciales en el sistema tradicional de fuentes del ordenamiento jurídico. La naturaleza jurídica de las reglas Incoterms determina el rol que estas reglas desempeñan en el ámbito del conflicto de leyes y de jurisdicciones. Esta tesis analiza también los distintos cauces a través de los cuales los Incoterms® pueden incorporarse al contrato de compraventa de mercaderías, así como su posible incidencia sobre la normativa aplicable, tanto de forma directa como indirecta. Desde su primera publicación, la finalidad de las reglas Incoterms© ha consistido en proporcionar unas pautas para la interpretación de los principales términos comerciales en el comercio internacional, a fin de prevenir y reducir posibles conflictos entre los operadores del comercio. El espíritu inicial de los Incoterms® sigue vigente, pero es preciso comprobar si se traduce, a efectos prácticos, en la determinación de la competencia judicial internacional, ya sea de forma directa o indirecta. En los últimos años, el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea ha concluido, de forma pionera, que la delimitación del lugar de entrega contenido en los Incoterms® puede constituir un criterio válido a efectos de determinar el foro contractual establecido en el artículo 7.1 b) del Reglamento 1215/2012. Este hecho pone de manifiesto la especial relevancia de estas reglas como referente interpretativo del lugar de entrega material de las mercaderías en el contrato de compraventa internacional. Las reglas Incoterms®, como elementos clave del contrato de compraventa, contribuyen a reducir los malentendidos entre comerciantes, minimizando las controversias entre las partes y los litigios.

[eng] The aim of this thesis is to study the legal nature of newly released Incoterms® concerning the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction in the scope of contracts for sale of goods. Since the creation of Incoterms® by the International Chamber of Commerce in 1936, these rules have been regularly updated to keep pace with developments in international trade. The Incoterms® content reflects the essence of the International Chamber of Commerce’s spirit of self-regulation for businesses. Their goal is to ascertain and reflect the most common commercial practices, promote international trade, and encourage proactive best practices. Doing so, Incoterms addresses the needs of international trade acting as a source of the lex mercatoria. The Incoterms® rules play an important role in an economic context as well as in the legal framework. They are integrated in a legal context as part of an international sale of goods contract. They operate in conjunction with other formalized laws and applicable rules of laws to the international sales contract. This thesis addresses the regulatory framework in which the Incoterms® rules reside and analyzes the place of commercial terms in the traditional source of law. The legal nature of Incoterms® determines the role these rules play in the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction. This thesis also analyzes the different ways Incoterms® rules can be incorporated into an international sales contract and their direct or indirect influence on the governing law. Since its first publication, the purpose of Incoterms© rules has been to provide a set of international guidelines for the interpretation of the most commonly used trade terms in foreign trade. Thus, the Incoterms© rules address problems arising out of the inconsistent interpretation of trade terms among international trading partners and thereby reduce the number of disputes. The initial Incoterms® spirit remains in force, but it is necessary to verify whether it translates into practical effects in the direct or indirect determination of international jurisdiction. Recently, the Court of Justice of the European Union concluded that Incoterms® can be the provisions of a contract on whose basis the place of delivery can be determined within the meaning of the first indent of article 7.1 b) of the Regulation 1215/2012. This fact reveals the special relevance of these rules as an interpretative reference of the material delivery place of the goods in the international sales contract. Incoterms® rules, as key elements of an international sales contract, significantly reduce misunderstandings among traders and thereby minimize trade disputes and litigation.

[cat] The aim of this thesis is to study the legal nature of newly released Incoterms® concerning the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction in the scope of contracts for sale of goods. Since the creation of Incoterms® by the International Chamber of Commerce in 1936, these rules have been regularly updated to keep pace with developments in international trade. The Incoterms® content reflects the essence of the International Chamber of Commerce’s spirit of self-regulation for businesses. Their goal is to ascertain and reflect the most common commercial practices, promote international trade, and encourage proactive best practices. Doing so, Incoterms addresses the needs of international trade acting as a source of the lex mercatoria. The Incoterms® rules play an important role in an economic context as well as in the legal framework. They are integrated in a legal context as part of an international sale of goods contract. They operate in conjunction with other formalized laws and applicable rules of laws to the international sales contract. This thesis addresses the regulatory framework in which the Incoterms® rules reside and analyzes the place of commercial terms in the traditional source of law. The legal nature of Incoterms® determines the role these rules play in the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction. This thesis also analyzes the different ways Incoterms® rules can be incorporated into an international sales contract and their direct or indirect influence on the governing law. Since its first publication, the purpose of Incoterms© rules has been to provide a set of international guidelines for the interpretation of the most commonly used trade terms in foreign trade. Thus, the Incoterms© rules address problems arising out of the inconsistent interpretation of trade terms among international trading partners and thereby reduce the number of disputes. The initial Incoterms® spirit remains in force, but it is necessary to verify whether it translates into practical effects in the direct or indirect determination of international jurisdiction. Recently, the Court of Justice of the European Union concluded that Incoterms® can be the provisions of a contract on whose basis the place of delivery can be determined within the meaning of the first indent of article 7.1 b) of the Regulation 1215/2012. This fact reveals the special relevance of these rules as an interpretative reference of the material delivery place of the goods in the international sales contract. Incoterms® rules, as key elements of an international sales contract, significantly reduce misunderstandings among traders and thereby minimize trade disputes and litigation.