EU general · Spain · France · Germany · UK. Each clause drafted to survive the four post-COVID legal tests retired by the Tribunal Supremo (156/2021), Cour de cassation (Cass. Com. 25 nov 2020) and the English Commercial Court (Salam Air v Latam Airlines [2020]). Free, no email gate.
Identify the governing law of your contract. Use the matching variant as the negotiation baseline. Track-change against the hotel's draft and brief your local counsel on the deltas. The five variants are aligned — same event list, same procedural duties, same termination consequences — so cross-border contracts can mirror the variant that governs.
Best when governing law is one of the EU civil-law jurisdictions and parties want a balanced, modern wording.
Force Majeure. Neither party shall be liable for failure or delay in performance caused by an event (a "Force Majeure Event") that (i) is beyond the affected party's reasonable control, (ii) was not reasonably foreseeable at the date of this Agreement, and (iii) makes performance impossible (not merely more onerous or less profitable).
Force Majeure Events include only: (a) a novel pathogen outbreak in respect of which the World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and a competent governmental authority has issued a legally binding order prohibiting events of the size contracted; (b) armed conflict, civil unrest or terrorism in the destination jurisdiction or in a directly neighbouring jurisdiction, evidenced by a Level 4 (or equivalent highest-level) travel advisory issued by the foreign ministry of the planner's country of origin; (c) destruction of, or denial of access to, the venue by natural disaster; (d) loss of essential infrastructure (grid power, water, telecommunications) at the venue for a continuous period exceeding twelve hours; (e) a binding act of public authority that legally prevents performance; (f) an industry-wide strike affecting the only viable transport hub for the destination, evidenced by carrier cancellations exceeding 50% of the documented attendee origin pattern.
The affected party shall give written notice within five business days of becoming aware of the Force Majeure Event, with documentary evidence, an estimate of duration, and a description of mitigation steps taken. Both parties shall negotiate in good faith to reschedule. If rescheduling within twelve months is not feasible, the contract shall terminate; all deposits paid shall be returned within thirty days, save for documented out-of-pocket expenses already incurred by the hotel. Force Majeure does not, of itself, entitle either party to a rate revision.
Spanish courts read foreseeability strictly post-COVID. A named-event list is especially important; catch-alls are read narrowly.
Fuerza mayor. A los efectos del artículo 1105 del Código Civil, se considera caso de fuerza mayor todo acontecimiento (i) ajeno al control razonable de la parte afectada, (ii) no previsible a la fecha de firma del presente contrato, y (iii) cuyos efectos no pueden ser evitados con la diligencia debida, y que haga imposible —y no meramente más oneroso— el cumplimiento de la obligación.
Se considerarán supuestos de fuerza mayor, y únicamente éstos: (a) brote de patógeno novedoso respecto del cual la Organización Mundial de la Salud haya declarado una Emergencia de Salud Pública de Importancia Internacional y exista una orden vinculante de autoridad competente publicada en el BOE o boletín autonómico equivalente que prohíba eventos del tamaño contratado; (b) conflicto armado, disturbios civiles o terrorismo en el lugar de celebración o en jurisdicción directamente colindante, acreditado mediante recomendación de nivel máximo del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores del país de origen del organizador; (c) destrucción o imposibilidad de acceso a la sede por desastre natural; (d) interrupción continuada superior a doce horas de servicios esenciales (electricidad, agua, telecomunicaciones); (e) acto vinculante de autoridad pública que impida legalmente la ejecución; (f) huelga sectorial que afecte al único nodo de transporte viable para la sede, con cancelaciones documentadas superiores al 50% del patrón de origen de asistentes.
La parte afectada notificará por escrito a la otra parte en el plazo de cinco días hábiles desde el conocimiento del hecho, aportando documentación acreditativa, estimación de duración y medidas de mitigación adoptadas. Si la imposibilidad se prolonga más de doce meses, el contrato se resolverá y los importes anticipados serán restituidos en el plazo de treinta días, salvo gastos efectivamente incurridos y documentados por el hotel. La fuerza mayor no autoriza, por sí sola, la revisión del precio pactado.
Art. 1218 codifies the three elements: beyond control, unforeseeable at conclusion, effects unavoidable by appropriate measures. Cass. Com. 25 nov 2020 reaffirms the strict reading.
Force majeure. Conformément à l'article 1218 du Code civil, constitue un cas de force majeure tout événement (i) échappant au contrôle de la partie qui l'invoque, (ii) qui ne pouvait être raisonnablement prévu lors de la conclusion du présent contrat, et (iii) dont les effets ne peuvent être évités par des mesures appropriées, et qui rend impossible l'exécution de l'obligation.
Sont expressément et limitativement qualifiés de cas de force majeure : (a) émergence d'un agent pathogène nouveau pour lequel l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé a déclaré une Urgence de Santé Publique de Portée Internationale et dont un arrêté préfectoral ou un décret du gouvernement français interdit légalement les rassemblements de la taille contractée ; (b) conflit armé, troubles civils ou actes de terrorisme dans la juridiction de destination ou dans une juridiction directement limitrophe, attesté par un classement « formellement déconseillé » du Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères du pays de l'Organisateur ; (c) destruction ou inaccessibilité du lieu d'exécution par catastrophe naturelle ; (d) interruption continue supérieure à douze heures des services essentiels (électricité, eau, télécommunications) ; (e) acte d'autorité publique rendant l'exécution juridiquement impossible ; (f) grève sectorielle affectant l'unique point de transport viable pour la destination, attestée par annulations de transporteurs supérieures à 50 % du schéma d'origine documenté des participants.
La partie empêchée notifie l'autre partie par écrit dans un délai de cinq jours ouvrés à compter de la connaissance de l'événement, en justifiant l'événement, sa durée prévisible et les mesures d'atténuation prises. En cas d'empêchement définitif, le contrat est résolu de plein droit conformément à l'article 1218 alinéa 2 ; les acomptes versés sont restitués sous trente jours, sauf frais documentés effectivement engagés par l'Hôtel. La force majeure ne justifie pas, à elle seule, une révision tarifaire au sens de l'article 1195 (imprévision), qui demeure une procédure distincte.
German law gives the cleanest statutory split between impossibility (§275) and hardship (§313). The clause must allocate events to the correct regime explicitly.
Höhere Gewalt. Im Sinne von § 275 BGB liegt höhere Gewalt vor, wenn ein Ereignis (i) außerhalb der zumutbaren Kontrolle der betroffenen Partei liegt, (ii) bei Vertragsschluss nicht vernünftigerweise vorhersehbar war, und (iii) die Leistung unmöglich macht — nicht lediglich erschwert oder unwirtschaftlich.
Höhere Gewalt umfasst ausschließlich: (a) Ausbruch eines neuartigen Erregers, für den die Weltgesundheitsorganisation eine Gesundheitliche Notlage von Internationaler Tragweite ausgerufen hat und eine rechtsverbindliche Anordnung der zuständigen deutschen Behörde Veranstaltungen der vertraglich vorgesehenen Größe untersagt; (b) bewaffneter Konflikt, Bürgerunruhen oder Terrorismus in der Zieljurisdiktion oder in einer unmittelbar angrenzenden Jurisdiktion, nachgewiesen durch eine Reisewarnung der höchsten Stufe des Auswärtigen Amts des Herkunftslandes des Veranstalters; (c) Zerstörung der Veranstaltungsstätte oder Unmöglichkeit des Zugangs durch Naturkatastrophe; (d) Ausfall wesentlicher Infrastruktur (Strom, Wasser, Telekommunikation) am Veranstaltungsort für eine ununterbrochene Dauer von mehr als zwölf Stunden; (e) verbindlicher hoheitlicher Akt, der die Leistung rechtlich verhindert; (f) branchenweiter Streik, der den einzigen tragfähigen Verkehrsknotenpunkt der Destination betrifft, nachgewiesen durch dokumentierte Carrierausfälle von mehr als 50% des Teilnehmerherkunftsmusters.
Die betroffene Partei zeigt das Ereignis innerhalb von fünf Werktagen nach Kenntnis schriftlich an, legt geeignete Nachweise vor und beschreibt die getroffenen Abmilderungsmaßnahmen. Im Falle dauerhafter Unmöglichkeit wird die Leistungspflicht gemäß § 275 Abs. 1 BGB ausgeschlossen; geleistete Anzahlungen werden innerhalb von dreißig Tagen zurückerstattet, abzüglich nachgewiesener Aufwendungen.
Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage gemäß § 313 BGB (insbesondere wirtschaftliche Unzumutbarkeit ohne Unmöglichkeit) ist von dieser Klausel ausdrücklich nicht erfasst; etwaige Ansprüche aus § 313 BGB richten sich nach dem dort geregelten Verfahren der Vertragsanpassung.
English law has no statutory force-majeure doctrine; the clause is the sole source of protection. Salam Air v Latam Airlines [2020] declined to read in protection that the contract did not expressly grant.
Force Majeure. A "Force Majeure Event" means an event which (i) is beyond the reasonable control of the party affected, (ii) was not reasonably foreseeable by that party at the date of this Agreement, and (iii) renders performance of that party's obligations under this Agreement impossible (and not merely more difficult or more expensive).
The following events (and only the following events) shall be Force Majeure Events: (a) a novel pathogen outbreak in respect of which the World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and a binding order of a UK competent authority (or, where the event is held outside the UK, of the competent authority of the host jurisdiction) legally prohibits events of the size contracted; (b) armed conflict, civil unrest or terrorism in the destination jurisdiction or in a directly neighbouring jurisdiction, evidenced by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office issuing an "advise against all travel" notice for the destination; (c) destruction of, or denial of access to, the venue by natural disaster; (d) loss of essential infrastructure (grid power, water, telecommunications) at the venue for a continuous period exceeding twelve hours; (e) a binding act of a competent public authority that legally prevents performance; (f) an industry-wide strike affecting the only viable transport hub for the destination, evidenced by carrier cancellations exceeding 50% of the documented attendee origin pattern.
The party affected shall give written notice to the other party within five Business Days of becoming aware of the Force Majeure Event, together with documentary evidence and an estimate of duration, and shall use reasonable endeavours to mitigate. If the Force Majeure Event continues for more than twelve months, either party may terminate this Agreement by written notice. On termination under this clause, all deposits paid by the Customer shall be refunded within thirty days, save for vouched out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred by the Hotel.
For the avoidance of doubt, the doctrine of frustration at common law shall not apply to any event expressly addressed by this clause; the Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943 is disapplied in respect of such events.
A Brussels-based industry association had contracted a 280-room block in late 2023 for a May 2024 annual congress. In March 2024 a regional advisory and a cascade of carrier cancellations made attendance unworkable. The hotel initially refused refund, citing a pre-2019 "act of God, war, terrorism" clause that did not list advisories. The association's counsel substituted Variant 1 (EU general) language as the negotiating baseline, evidencing the carrier-cancellation threshold and the foreign-ministry advisory — both of which the modern clause would have triggered. The hotel agreed to a deposit return of €87,000 (the full advance minus €4,200 in documented out-of-pocket expenses), without litigation. Identifying details have been changed; the outcome and the negotiating mechanic are real.
| Item | Present? | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 · Foreseeability (named forward events) | |||
| Test 2 · Supervening + internal carve-outs | |||
| Test 3 · Impossibility (not hardship) | |||
| Test 4 · Notice period + mitigation | |||
| Closed list of events | |||
| Deposit refund schedule | |||
| Symmetric rights (both parties) | |||
| Governing law specified in clause |
Decision rule: more than two "Fail" rows = replace clause wholesale using the matching jurisdictional variant above and brief counsel before signing.