FORCE MAJEURE ET COVID-19 : UNE ARME À DOUBLE TRANCHANT JURIDIQUEMENT RISQUÉE

The policy brief warns governments that force majeure is a 'double-edged sword' during the COVID-19 pandemic. While governments may use it to justify emergency measures, they must also face claims from companies unable to operate. The author recommends a case-by-case approach, avoiding general legal declarations, and using 'without prejudice' communications to mitigate future litigation risks in contractual and investor-state disputes.

• Force majeure allows entities to stop fulfilling obligations without financial penalties when an event beyond their control makes execution impossible, whether permanently or temporarily.
• Governments face a strategic dilemma where they may need to defend their own COVID-19 measures using force majeure while simultaneously processing similar claims from companies seeking to avoid obligations to the state.
• China has already declared COVID-19 a case of force majeure for many of its companies' commercial contracts, likely to avoid claims from foreign firms regarding non-delivery or breach of purchase contracts.
• Governments are advised to avoid making official general declarations on force majeure and should instead use 'without prejudice' communications to prevent being legally bound by general arguments in specific future disputes.
• There is a significant risk of legal action from companies and third-party litigation funders alleging breach of contract or non-compliance with international investment treaties due to government COVID-19 responses.

APA

Mann, H. (2020). FORCE MAJEURE ET COVID-19 : UNE ARME À DOUBLE TRANCHANT JURIDIQUEMENT RISQUÉE. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-fr.pdf

Chicago

Mann, Howard. FORCE MAJEURE ET COVID-19 : UNE ARME À DOUBLE TRANCHANT JURIDIQUEMENT RISQUÉE. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mann |first1=Howard |title=FORCE MAJEURE ET COVID-19 : UNE ARME À DOUBLE TRANCHANT JURIDIQUEMENT RISQUÉE |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mann2020force, author = {Mann, Howard}, title = {{FORCE MAJEURE ET COVID-19 : UNE ARME À DOUBLE TRANCHANT JURIDIQUEMENT RISQUÉE}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }