Annex IV. Reservations and Declarations to the Hague Evidence Convention

• Pages: 297-308

Annex IV

RESERVATIONS AND DECLARATIONS TO THE HAGUE EVIDENCE

CONVENTION

(for the signatories discussed in this publication)

France

Articles: 4,16,17,23

In accordance with the provisions of Article 33, the French Government

declares:

– that in pursuance of Article 4, para. 2, it will execute Letters of

Request only if they are in French or if they are accompanied by a

translation into French;

– that, in pursuance of Article 23, Letters of Request issued for the

purpose of obtaining pretrial discovery of documents as known in

Common Law countries will not be executed;

In accordance with the provisions of Article 16, the Service Civil de

l’Entraide Judiciaire Internationale, Ministère de la Justice, 13, Place

Vendôme, Paris 1er, has been designated as the authority competent to

authorize diplomatic officers or consular agents of a Contracting State to

take the evidence without compulsion of persons other than nationals of that

State in aid of proceedings commenced in the courts of a State which they

represent.

This authorization which will be given for each particular case accompanied

by particular conditions if need be, shall be subject to the following general

conditions:

1. the evidence must only be taken within the precincts of the

Embassies;

2. the Service Civil de L’Entraide Judiciaire Internationale must be

given due notice of the date and time at which the evidence is to be

taken so that it can make representatives available if necessary;

3. the evidence must be taken in a room to which the public has

access;