Europen Trety Series - No. 91 Europen Convention on Produts Liility in regrd to Personl Injury nd Deth Strsourg, 27.I.1977 The memer Sttes of the Counil of Europe, signtory hereto, Considering tht the im of the Counil of Europe is to hieve greter unity etween its memers; Considering the development of se lw in the mjority of memer Sttes extending liility of produers prompted y desire to protet onsumers tking into ount the new prodution tehniques nd mrketing nd sles methods; Desiring to ensure etter protetion of the puli nd, t the sme time, to tke produers' legitimte interests into ount; Considering tht priority should e given to ompenstion for personl injury nd deth; Awre of the importne of introduing speil rules on the liility of produers t Europen level, Hve greed s follows: Artile 1 1 Eh Contrting Stte shll mke its ntionl lw onform with the provisions of this Convention not lter thn the dte of entry into fore of the Convention in respet of tht Stte. 2 Eh Contrting Stte shll ommunite to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe, not lter thn the dte of the entry into fore of the Convention in respet of tht Stte, ny text dopted or sttement of the ontents of the existing lw whih it relies on to implement the Convention. Artile 2 For the purpose of this Convention: the term "produt" indites ll movles, nturl or industril, whether rw or mnuftured, even though inorported into nother movle or into n immovle; the term "produer" indites the mnufturers of finished produts or of omponent prts nd the produers of nturl produts;
d produt hs "defet" when it does not provide the sfety whih person is entitled to expet, hving regrd to ll the irumstnes inluding the presenttion of the produt; produt hs een "put into irultion" when the produer hs delivered it to nother person. Artile 3 1 The produer shll e lile to py ompenstion for deth or personl injuries used y defet in his produt. 2 Any person who hs imported produt for putting it into irultion in the ourse of usiness nd ny person who hs presented produt s his produt y using his nme, trdemrk or other distinguishing feture to pper on the produt, shll e deemed to e produers for the purpose of this Convention nd shll e lile s suh. 3 When the produt does not indite the identity of ny of the persons lile under prgrphs 1 nd 2 of this Artile, eh supplier shll e deemed to e produer for the purpose of this Convention nd lile s suh, unless he disloses, within resonle time, t the request of the limnt, the identity of the produer or of the person who supplied him with the produt. The sme shll pply, in the se of n imported produt, if this produt does not indite the identity of the importer referred to in prgrph 2, even if the nme of the produer is indited. 4 In the se of dmge used y defet in produt inorported into nother produt, the produer of the inorported produt nd the produer inorporting tht produt shll e lile. 5 Where severl persons re lile under this Convention for the sme dmge, eh shll e lile in full (in solidum). Artile 4 1 If the injured person or the person entitled to lim ompenstion hs y his own fult ontriuted to the dmge, the ompenstion my e redued or disllowed hving regrd to ll the irumstnes. 2 The sme shll pply if person, for whom the injured person or the person entitled to lim ompenstion is responsile under ntionl lw, hs ontriuted to the dmge y his fult. Artile 5 1 A produer shll not e lile under this Convention if he proves: tht the produt hs not een put into irultion y him; or tht, hving regrd to the irumstnes, it is prole tht the defet whih used the dmge did not exist t the time when the produt ws put into irultion y him or tht this defet me into eing fterwrds; or tht the produt ws neither mnuftured for sle, hire or ny other form of distriution for the eonomi purposes of the produer nor mnuftured or distriuted in the ourse of his usiness. 2 The liility of produer shll not e redued when the dmge is used oth y defet in the produt nd y the t or omission of third prty. 2
Artile 6 Proeedings for the reovery of the dmges shll e sujet to limittion period of three yers from the dy the limnt eme wre or should resonly hve een wre of the dmge, the defet nd the identity of the produer. Artile 7 The right to ompenstion under this Convention ginst produer shll e extinguished if n tion is not rought within ten yers from the dte on whih the produer put into irultion the individul produt whih used the dmge. Artile 8 The liility of the produer under this Convention nnot e exluded or limited y ny exemption or exonertion luse. Artile 9 This Convention shll not pply to: the liility of produers inter se nd their rights of reourse ginst third prties; nuler dmge. Artile 10 Contrting Sttes shll not dopt rules derogting from this Convention, even if these rules re more fvourle to the vitim. Artile 11 Sttes my reple the liility of the produer, in prinipl or susidiry wy, wholly or in prt, in generl wy, or for ertin risks only, y the liility of gurntee fund or other form of olletive gurntee, provided tht the vitim shll reeive protetion t lest equivlent to the protetion he would hve hd under the liility sheme provided for y this Convention. Artile 12 This Convention shll not effet ny rights whih person suffering dmge my hve ording to the ordinry rules of the lw of ontrtul nd extr-ontrtul liility inluding ny rules onerning the duties of seller who sells goods in the ourse of his usiness. Artile 13 1 This Convention shll e open to signture y the memer Sttes of the Counil of Europe. It shll e sujet to rtifition eptne or pprovl. Instruments of rtifition, eptne or pprovl shll e deposited with the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe. 2 This Convention shll enter into fore on the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of six months fter the dte of deposit of the third instrument of rtifition, eptne or pprovl. 3
3 In respet of signtory Stte rtifying, epting or pproving susequently, the Convention shll ome into fore on the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of six months fter the dte of the deposit of its instrument of rtifition, eptne or pprovl. Artile 14 1 After the entry into fore of this Convention, the Committee of the Ministers of the Counil of Europe my invite ny non-memer Stte to ede thereto. 2 Suh ession shll e effeted y depositing with the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe n instrument of ession whih shll tke effet on the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of six months fter the dte of its deposit. Artile 15 1 Any Stte my, t the time of signture or when depositing its instrument of rtifition, eptne, pprovl or ession, speify the territory or territories to whih this Convention shll pply. 2 Any Stte my, when depositing its instrument of rtifition, eptne, pprovl or ession or t ny lter dte, y delrtion ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe, extend this Convention to ny other territory or territories speified in the delrtion nd for whose interntionl reltions it is responsile or on whose ehlf it is uthorised to give undertkings. 3 Any delrtion mde in pursune of the preeding prgrph my, in respet of ny territory mentioned in suh delrtion, e withdrwn y mens of notifition ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe. Suh withdrwl shll tke effet on the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of six months fter the dte of reeipt y the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe of the delrtion of withdrwl. Artile 16 1 Any Stte my, t the time of signture or when depositing its instrument of rtifition, eptne, pprovl or ession, or t ny lter dte, y notifition ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe, delre tht, in pursune of n interntionl greement to whih it is Prty, it will not onsider imports from one or more speified Sttes lso Prties to tht greement s imports for the purpose of prgrph 2 nd 3 of Artile 3; in this se the person importing the produt into ny of these Sttes from nother Stte shll e deemed to e n importer for ll the Sttes Prties to this greement. 2 Any delrtion mde in pursune of the preeding prgrph my e withdrwn y mens of notifition ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe. Suh withdrwl shll tke effet the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of one month fter the dte of reeipt y the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe of the delrtion of withdrwl. Artile 17 1 No reservtion shll e mde to the provisions of this Convention exept those mentioned in the Annex to this Convention. 2 The Contrting Stte whih hs mde one of the reservtions mentioned in the Annex to this Convention my withdrw it y mens of delrtion ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe whih shll eome effetive the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of one month fter the dte of its reeipt y the Seretry Generl. 4
Artile 18 1 Any Contrting Stte my, in so fr s it is onerned, denoune this Convention y mens of notifition ddressed to the Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe. 2 Suh denunition shll tke effet on the first dy of the month following the expirtion of period of six months fter the dte of reeipt y the Seretry Generl of suh notifition. Artile 19 The Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe shll notify the memer Sttes of the Counil nd ny Stte whih hs eded to this Convention of: ny signture; ny deposit of n instrument of rtifition, eptne, pprovl or ession; ny dte of entry into fore of this Convention in ordne with Artile 13 thereof; d ny reservtion mde in pursune of the provisions of Artile 17, prgrph 1; e withdrwl of ny reservtion rried out in pursune of the provisions of Artile 17, prgrph 2; f ny ommunition or notifition reeived in pursune of the provisions of Artile 1, prgrph 2, Artile 15, prgrphs 2 nd 3 nd Artile 16, prgrphs 1 nd 2; g ny notifition reeived in pursune of the provisions of Artile 18 nd the dte on whih denunition tkes effet. In witness whereof, the undersigned, eing duly uthorised thereto, hve signed this Convention. Done t Strsourg, this 27th dy of Jnury 1977, in English nd in Frenh, oth texts eing eqully uthorittive, in single opy whih shll remin deposited in the rhives of the Counil of Europe. The Seretry Generl of the Counil of Europe shll trnsmit ertified opies of eh of the signtory nd the eding Sttes. 5