Introduction to International Commercial and European Law: a practical guide

The field of international commercial law has gained importance due to the increasing globalization of economies and international commerce in the last decades. This book covers the most important legal issues when conducting business abroad. The legal environment of the business transactions is the central theme of the first part. The political and policy risks of doing business abroad are explained, as well as how they should be mitigated. The first part also covers European law with a focus on the four freedoms and competition law. It ends with strategies for entering foreign markets. The second part of the book focuses on the individual contract of sale. This part of the book deals with a range of subjects, including general conditions of sale, retention of title, the CISG, product safety and product liability, Incoterms, contract of carriage, jurisdiction, choice of law and arbitration, standard contract clauses and payment conditions. This book takes a practical approach and uses specific examples to systematically explain the main legal problems arising from selling products in foreign countries. It is meant to be used as a textbook for business students and for introductory courses in law schools. No previous in-depth knowledge of law is necessary to use this book. It contains more than 100 multiple choice questions and 70 cases, giving students the possibility to apply the knowledge acquired in a chapter to real situations. The book does not pretend to be exhaustive in scope: the field of international commercial law in particular is vast, and has many different angles. However, it does try to explain the main pitfalls of doing business in foreign countries and how to avoid them.