Given the doctrinal debatable nature of the issues regarding the place of legal qualification in dealing with a conflict-of-laws rule, its limits, subject matter, and the delimitation of the concepts “qualification” and “interpretation”, the author generally upholds the effectual approach of the Ukrainian legislator to the statutory regulation of this issue in the Law of Ukraine “On Private International Law” (PIL law). As the article shows, in the concept of current Art. 7 a correlation may be traced with the doctrinal approach of qualification by functional purpose (“par la fonction” or “enlightened lege fori”), according to which it is the function embodied in a foreign legal institution that should be taken up as the point of synchronization of such an institution with a respective conflict-of-laws rule of the court law.

In line with this trend and given the signing of the Hague Convention in 2019, and also in view of the relations of association of Ukraine with the European Union, the author recommends a number of improvements with regard to regulation of legal qualification issues in private international law in Ukraine. Such proposals are aimed at unifying the approaches to legal qualification in the context of regulating the conflicts of laws and the conflicts of jurisdictions. The key recommendations include: 1) adding a new section V1 “Conflict-of-Laws Rules Regarding Trusts” to PIL Law and, at the same time, expanding respectively the set of concepts of PIL Law with the term “trust” in the light of the doctrine of legal qualification by functional purpose; 2) improving the provision of article 75 of PIL Law with a view to avoiding the effect of parallel litigation by two courts (“lis alibi pendens”), with appropriate consolidation of the approach taken up by the European Court of Justice (in the context of interpretation of the concepts inherent in civil justice systems of foreign countries); 3) introducing the proposed improvements to PIL Law (with certain exceptions) at the level of the relevant procedural codes.

At the same time, it is recommended to refrain from consolidating the provisions of part 3, article 75 of PIL Law (which propose introducing the principle of teleological and systemic interpretation proper to the practice of the European Court of Justice) at the level of procedural codes. Given the nature of this principle, its implementation in judicial practice is seen as more effective via the relevant legal positions of the Supreme Court. A similar approach is recommended in respect of legal qualification by functional purpose regarding the issues of internal aspects of trusts (as prescribed by the provisions of the new section V1 and the new clause of the transitional provisions of PIL Law).

Thus, on the way of implementing the doctrine of legal qualification by functional purpose, the author believes that it is judicial practice that has a defining role. The matter is that along with doctrinal ambiguity, legal qualification is also always inherently linked to the factual circumstances of a particular case, and setting forth an exhaustive list of facts in a particular law can hardly be considered a realistic intention.

Bibliography

Authored books

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32. Cherniak Yu, ‘Dyskusiini pytannia vyznachennia yurysdyktsii sudu shchodo zastosuvannia poperednikh zakhodiv zakhystu v mizhnarodnomu tsyvilnomu protsesi’ [‘Controversial Issues of Determining Court Jurisdiction with Regard to Application of Interim Protection Measures in International Civil Proceedings’] (2014) 123 (I) Aktualni problemy mizhnarodnykh vidnosyn 107–8 (in Ukrainian).

33. Malyshev B, ‘Teleolohichnyi sposib tlumachennia norm prava: zahalnoteoretychni aspekty’ [‘Teleological Method for Interpretation of Legal Provisions: General Theoretical Aspects’] [2011] 10 (133) Advokat 7–14 (in Ukrainian).

34. Perestiuk N, ‘Haazka konventsiia pro vyznannia trastiv: porivnialnyi analiz dosvidu kontynentalnykh krain’ [‘Hague Convention on the Law Applicable to Trusts: Comparative Analysis of the Experience of Continental Countries’] (2018) 4-2 Pravo i Suspilstvo 77–86 (in Ukrainian).

35. Perestiuk N, ‘Uroky z dosvidu ratyfikatsii Haazkoi konventsii pro trasty Shveitsariieiu,yak krainoiu kontynentalnoho prava’ [‘Lessons from the Experience of Ratification of the Hague Trust Convention by Switzerland as a Country of Continental Law’] (2019) 5 Narysy z mizhnarodnoho pryvatnoho prava 121–37 (in Ukrainian).

Theses

36. Kalakura V, ‘Kodyfikatsiia mizhnarodnoho pryvatnoho prava v krainakh Yevropy’ [‘Codification of Private International Law in Europe’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, 1993) (in Ukrainian).

37. Lisicyn-Svetlanov A, ‘Tendencii razvitija mezhdunarodnogo grazhdanskogo processa’ [‘Trends in the Development of International Civil Proceedings’] (dis d-ra jurid nauk, 2002) (in Russian).

38. Perestiuk N, ‘Pravova kvalifikatsiia v mizhnarodnomu pryvatnomu pravi na prykladi anhlosaksonskoho trastu’ [‘Legal Qualification in Private International Law on the Example of an Anglo-Saxon Trust’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2019) (in Ukrainian).

Conference papers

39. Perestiuk N, ‘Vykonavchyi protses, inozemnyi element ta novyi TsPK Ukrainy’ [‘Enforcement Proceedings, a Foreign Element and the New Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine’] v Materialy naukovo-praktychnoi konferentsii “Reforma vykonavchoho provadzhennia: sohodennia ta perspektyvy” (30 bereznia 2018 roku). Zbirnyk naukovykh prats [Materials of the Scientific and Practical Conference “Reform of the Enforcement Procedure: Today’s Situation and Prospects” (March 30, 2018)] (Iuston 2018) (in Ukrainian).