Vienna Convention 1980

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale

of Goods (CISG)
Introduction
CISG = Vienna Convention 1980

Multilateral treaty introducing a uniform sales law

Ratified by 83 countries

Combination of UNIDROIT, HCCH and UNCITRAL

Specialty of CISG
Offers substantive rule Contains detailed rules of
application
CISG has a broad field of
application Contains substantive law dealing
with sales of movable goods
Influence on the law of
worldwide trans-border Written in plain business
commerce language

Flexible
Structure of CISG
Structure of CISG

CISG / Vienna
Convention 1980

Part I Part II
Part III Part IV
Sphere of application Formation of the
Sale of Goods Final Clauses
and General Provision Contract
Criticism of CISG
Governing sales contracts, but there is gaps which have to be filled with the
applicable national law

Not capable to agree on a code that concisely and clearly states universal
principles of sales law

Incomplete, no mechanism for updating the provisions and no

international panel to resolve interpretation issues

Contradictory jurisprudence