Explanatory note

This Order amends the Contracts (Applicable Law) Act 1990. That Act gives effect, in the United Kingdom, to the 1980 Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations (the Rome Convention) and the Luxembourg Convention of 1984 (by which Greece acceded to the Rome Convention). The Rome Convention harmonises the private international law rules of the Member States of the European Union on the law applicable to contracts.

This Order makes minor amendments to the 1990 Act to reflect the revisions made to the Rome Convention on the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden. The text of the Convention, signed at Brussels, by which Austria, Finland and Sweden acceded to the Rome Convention is set out in the Schedule to the Order which is incorporated as Schedule 3B to the Act. The effect of this Order will be to enable the United Kingdom to ratify that Convention.

The 1990 Act has been previously amended by S.I. 1994/1900 which reflected the revisions made to the Rome Convention by the Funchal Convention, the Convention whereby Spain and Portugal acceded to the Rome Convention.