The Institution of Anticipated Non-Performance under Polish Law in the Context of the Doctrine of Anticipatory Breachof Contract – on the Structure of Art. 492(1) of Polish Civil Code (A Comparative Legal Analysis)

Justyna Glinka; Łukasz Chyla

doi:10.18290/rnp.2017.27.1-2en

Justyna Glinka Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Law and Administration
Łukasz Chyla Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Law and Administration

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rnp.2017.27.1-2en

Keywords: anticipatory withdrawal; protection of the creditor; breach of contract; non-performance; announcement of non-performance; repudiation

Abstract

Various aspects of the anticipated (expected) breach of obligations under a contractual relationship have long been the subject of discussion with respect to the Polish Civil Code of 1964, which does not provide a general legal basis entitling the creditor to terminate the contract before it becomes due. This situation has changed with the entry of the amendment of May 30, 2014, as the introduction of Art. 4921 of the Civil Code was an important legislative step, which requires a comprehensive comment. A comprehensive linguistic and functional analysis of the said provision, regulating an inevitable non-performance, however, requires a broader view, especially from the perspective of the common law system (as an institution of Anglo-Saxon origin) or other international regulations (which are a source of inspiration for the Polish legislator). Both legal and comparative verification not only facilitates a fuller understanding of the nature of the anticipatory breach institution itself, but above all, allows one to realize the consequences and a number of contentious issues involving the practical application of the institution of art. 4921 of the Civil Code from the perspective of participants of the legal and economic market.

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