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State liability meaning

Published by a LexisNexis EU Law expert
What does State liability mean?
State liability describes the EU law remedy enabling individuals and businesses to seek compensation from a state where its breach of EU law has caused loss. It is a case law doctrine of the Court of Justice of the European Union (not a codified statute), developed in Francovich, Brasserie du Pêcheur/Factortame and Köbler. Key features: - It applies to legislative, administrative and, in limited circumstances, judicial acts of a Member State and its organs. - The claimant must show: (1) the breached EU rule was intended to confer rights; (2) the breach was sufficiently serious; and (3) a direct causal link between the breach and the damage. - Quantum and procedure are governed by national law, subject to the EU principles of equivalence and effectiveness. Jurisdiction: - Ireland: State liability remains fully available for breaches of EU law. - England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: Following the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, Francovich damages (EU state liability) are generally not available for breaches occurring after 31 December 2020. Transitional/saved rights may persist for pre‑IP completion day breaches under the Withdrawal Agreement and related provisions. Other domestic remedies may still be relevant depending on the facts.
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View the related Checklists about State liability

CHECKLISTS
No-deal Brexit: UK courts' jurisdiction before and after exit day under Brussels I (recast), savings provisions, and common law/Hague alternatives: checklist

ARCHIVED This Checklist is archived and is not maintained or updated. It considers how UK courts would apply Regulation (EU) 1215/2012, Brussels I (recast)—which concerns the allocation of court jurisdiction for civil and commercial matters—if the UK were to leave the EU on exit day without a deal, the so‑called ‘no deal Brexit’ scenario. ‘Exit day’ has the meaning given by section 20 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The Checklist reviews the Regulation’s jurisdictional articles and evaluates whether the UK courts will apply them and, if so, in what way. The outcome varies depending on whether proceedings are started before exit day (with the jurisdictional issue decided afterwards) or initiated after exit day. The principal UK instrument is the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/479. Coming into force on exit day, it includes a range of savings provisions and modifications to Regulation (EU) 1215/2012, Brussels I (recast), alongside amendment and revocation of specified UK and EU legislation. For details of the legislation...

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CHECKLISTS
No-deal Brexit: EU courts’ jurisdiction under Brussels I Recast for UK-related civil and commercial disputes—pre and post-exit proceedings checklist (Archived)

ARCHIVED : This Checklist has been archived and is not maintained. This Checklist assesses the stance EU courts are anticipated to take in relation to the application of Regulation (EU) 1215/2012, Brussels I (recast), should the UK leave the EU on exit day without an agreement, the so‑called ‘no deal Brexit’ scenario. In particular, it considers and reviews the Regulation’s articles that address jurisdiction, together with the effects of a no deal Brexit on their practical application in proceedings featuring a UK element (whether involving a defendant domiciled in the UK, a jurisdiction agreement in favour of a UK court, or parallel or related proceedings brought before the UK courts). The position differs depending on whether proceedings were commenced prior to exit day (with the jurisdictional dispute to be determined after that date) or whether the proceedings were instituted after exit day...

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CHECKLISTS
UK LLP formation and governance: legal, regulatory and practical checklist for lawyers

This checklist outlines the main points to address when establishing a limited liability partnership (LLP), covering legal, regulatory and practical considerations. Number and identity of the members How many members will there be, and who are they? Eligibility: a member must not be an undischarged bankrupt, nor disqualified from acting as an LLP member or a company director. Capacity of each member: individual, company, other entity or body. For individuals, provide: full name and any former business name(s) used within the previous 20 years usual residential address (plus any CA 2006, s 243 exemption from disclosure to credit reference agencies as it applies to LLPs) service address (this can be the LLP’s registered office) country or state of residence date of birth For corporations, provide: name (and any firm name) registered or principal office registration number (for a UK company)...

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NEWS
UK employment law weekly highlights: 28 March 2024—April reforms, flexible working Code, National Insurance cuts, minimum wage, Vento bands, industrial action, Northern Ireland updates

In this issue Working time and flexible working Pay Tax Prohibited conduct (discrimination etc) Employment tribunal equality claims Diversity and gender pay gap Industrial action Unfair dismissal Employment tribunals Immigration Northern Ireland ESG and sustainability: employment issues Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Working time and flexible working Code of Practice (Requests for Flexible Working) Order 2024 (SI 2024/429): The Order designates 6 April 2024 as the date on which the updated Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working, issued by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) under section 199 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULR(C)A 1992), takes effect. It also clarifies that the revised Code does not cover applications for flexible working made under section 80F of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) that are lodged on or before 5 April 2024;...

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NEWS
England and Wales civil litigation update: 168th Practice Direction update, Hague Judgments framework, rulings on malicious falsehood, employee fraud and broker negligence, plus jurisdiction, French blocking statute and crypto developments

In this issue: Key DR developments Claims and remedies Cross-border disputes Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments Practice Direction update 168th PD update: Approval has been given by the Master of the Rolls and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice to the 168th update to the Practice Directions under the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR). This update alters CPR PD 51ZC, prolonging the small claims paper determination pilot until 1 December 2024; that change took effect on 31 May 2024. It also revises CPR PD 74A to provide for the registration of foreign judgments for recognition and enforcement pursuant to the Hague Judgments Convention. The amendments to CPR PD 74A will commence when the Hague Judgments Convention comes into force in the UK—see LNB News 06/06/2024 6—168th Practice Direction update. Guidance and reports Birmingham Business and Property Courts’ local guidance updated: The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (CTJ)...

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NEWS
US DOJ use of FCPA and Anti-Terrorism Act against cartels/TCOs: overlapping corporate liability, FTO designations and high-risk scenarios

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump administration has signalled it will deploy every instrument at its disposal—including the FCPA and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA)—to go after such targets. What, then, should compliance professionals understand about where FCPA and ATA risks intersect? At face value, the FCPA and ATA seem to address separate exposures: the FCPA tackles bribery of overseas officials, whereas the ATA centres on, among other matters, supplying material support to, or aiding and abetting, foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs). In reality, though, these hazards can collide—especially in markets with significant FTO presence—producing concurrent exposure. Background On 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order No 14157, directing, among other measures, that specified international cartels and other transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) be classified as FTOs. Since February 2025, the US State Department has designated 11 organisations—primarily in Latin America—as FTOs. These listings carry meaningful consequences: the ATA imposes broad civil and criminal liability for furnishing material support to FTOs, and permits asset forfeiture...

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PRACTICE NOTES
West Tankers: practical impact under Brussels I (recast)—no court anti-suit injunctions; tribunals’ power to award damages for breach of arbitration agreements; recognition of anti-suit awards

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and not kept up to date. Practical implications of West Tankers In short, the current position arising from the West Tankers saga (so far) is: Any EU Member State court seised of proceedings must rule on its own jurisdiction to determine the dispute. Under Brussels I and Brussels I (recast), courts of another Member State cannot remove that competence from it. An arbitral tribunal has jurisdiction to award damages for breach of an obligation to arbitrate. Where jurisdiction is disputed (as it often is), consider advising clients to obtain a standalone final award addressing jurisdiction at the outset, and then seek to have it recognised and enforced by the court (the application would be made under the procedure set out in CPR 62). This should prevent a conflicting court judgment taking precedence, on the basis of issue estoppel. Thereafter, the parties can proceed to the liability and quantum issues within the arbitration. West Tankers—the...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Rome II choice-of-law rules for non‑contractual claims: product liability, competition, environmental damage, IP, industrial action, unjust enrichment and related claims (England and Wales; events 2009–2020)

Practice Note Use this Practice Note to identify the governing law before the courts of England and Wales for harmful events that took place between 11 January 2009 and 31 December 2020. Where incidents happened outside those dates, the UK courts will apply an alternative choice-of-law regime, and the regime engaged turns solely on the date of the occurrence. If the date falls outside that span, a different regime applies, selected by reference to timing of the event. For direction on those regimes and how they interrelate, see Practice Note: Applicable law regimes. It summarises the special rules governing particular heads of claim under Regulation (EC) 864/2007 on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations (Rome II). The topics include product liability, unfair competition and restraints on free competition, environmental harm, intellectual property (IP) rights, industrial action, unjust enrichment, negotiorum gestio—i.e. agency without authority, and culpa in contrahendo—fault in forming a contract, as well as insurance...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules: practitioner overview of ad hoc and investor-State cases - 1976 and 2010 frameworks, Transparency and Expedited Rules, appointing authority/PCA role, procedure, awards and costs

This Practice Note provides an introduction to the overall structure of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Arbitration Rules (the UNCITRAL Rules). The UNCITRAL Rules occupy a significant role in contemporary arbitration practice. They are crafted for ad hoc international commercial arbitrations—proceedings not administered by an arbitral institution and, typically, not conducted under that institution’s rules. The Rules may likewise be employed in investor–state arbitrations commenced under a treaty, such as a bilateral investment treaty, where the treaty permits arbitration conducted under those rules. Unless the parties stipulate otherwise, the UNCITRAL Rules govern arbitration agreements concluded on or after 15 August 2010, ie the date the revised Rules took effect. The earlier 1976 UNCITRAL Rules continue to apply to all arbitration agreements entered into before that date. Both the 1976 and 2010 UNCITRAL Rules are separate from UNCITRAL’s Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, adopted in 1985 and revised in 2006, which has been adopted (often with modifications) by more than 50 jurisdictions—see Practice Note: The UNCITRAL...

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PRECEDENTS
Short-form joint tender teaming agreement with IP, confidentiality, non-circumvention, limitation of liability and anti-bribery/tax evasion/fraud/modern slavery compliance (England and Wales)

This Agreement is entered into on [ date ] Parties [ Insert name of party ] [ of OR a company incorporated in England and Wales under number [ insert registered number ] with its registered office at ] [ insert address ] (Party 1); and [ Insert name of party ] [ of OR a company incorporated in England and Wales under number [ insert registered number ] with its registered office at ] [ insert address ] (Party 2), each of Party 1 and Party 2 being a party and, together, the parties. BACKGROUND Party 1 supplies [ insert description of goods and/or services ]. Party 2 supplies [ insert description of goods and/or services ]. The parties intend to submit a Bid as a joint tender to the Customer in answer to the Invitation to Tender. The parties seek to state their obligations and manage their rights concerning the Bid and, if the...

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PRECEDENTS
Template website terms and conditions for online sale of goods to consumers (B2C) — England and Wales

Before purchasing anything on our website, please read these important terms and conditions and ensure they include everything you expect and nothing you are unwilling to accept. Summary of some of your key rights: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 state that, in most cases, you can change your mind within 14 days of receiving your goods and receive a full refund. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires goods to be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. During the expected lifespan of your product, you are entitled to the following: up to 30 days: if your goods are faulty, you can get a refund; up to six months: if repair or replacement is not possible, you are entitled to a full refund in most cases; up to six years: if the goods do not last a reasonable length of time, you may be entitled to some money back. This is a summary...

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PRECEDENTS
Precedent: Residential property sale contract by mortgagee exercising statutory power of sale (England and Wales)

Date [ date ] Parties [ name of mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Seller) [ name of (first) Buyer ] [ and [ name of second Buyer ] both ] of [ address ] ([ together ] Buyer) 1 Definitions In this Agreement, the following terms shall have these meanings: Actual Completion Date – the day on which the Transfer is actually finalised; [ Buyer’s Solicitors – [ name ] of [ address ] (reference [ details ]); ] Completion Date – [ date ]; [ Contents – the items specified in Appendix 2; ] [ Contents Price – £[ amount in figures ] ([ amount in words ] pounds); ] Deposit – [ figure ]% of the Price; [ Documents – the documents identified in the Schedule; ] Legislation...

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Q&As
Do buyer's warranty-claim costs count in liability thresholds?

Contract law regulates the recoverable loss arising under a limitation of liability provision in a share purchase agreement where a warranty is breached. Warranties comprise contractual declarations or assurances concerning the state of the target company, its operations, assets and liabilities. Should a seller provide a warranty in a share purchase agreement that later turns out inaccurate, untrue or misleading, the buyer may pursue a breach of warranty claim and seek damages from the seller for losses thereby suffered by the buyer...

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