海牙信託公約簡析

Hague Trusts Convention-An Introduction

許兆慶(Chao-Ching Hsu)

《財產法暨經濟法》 創刊號 (2005/03) Pp. 95-139

摘要

海牙國際私法會議堪稱國際私法領域最重要之國際組織，本文所研究之海牙信託公約，係海牙國際私法會議所制定通過的國際公約之一，乃國際社會普遍期待與努力的成果，主要規範跨國信託之法律適用與外國信託效力之承認事宜。
我國雖非海牙國際私法會議之成員國，亦非海牙信託公約之締約國，但海牙信託公約之規範內涵，在國際間已產生實質、具體且深遠之影響；我國現行法尚乏處理國際信託之相關準據法規範，而海牙信託公約規範內容適足以作爲我國建構跨國信託法制之重要參考準據。
本文首先以歷史的觀察角度，說明海牙信託公約興起與制定之原因；其次介紹海牙信託公約制定之過程與經緯；再其次，簡述海牙信託公約之內涵，包括其規範之架構與範圍；接而說明海牙信託公約目前的簽署與效力現況；最後，由於跨國信託法制在我國尚付之闕如，本文建議在我國立法建構信託準據法及承認外國信託效力之相關條文前，法院處理涉外信託爭議時，得將海牙信託公約相關法則作爲涉外民事法律適用法第三十條之法理而適用，同時，由於「尊重委託人合法意願」已成爲意定信託最重要的法律價值，本文乃建議，法院在選定準據法過程與認定外國信託之效力時，應以尊重委託人創設信託關係之合法意願爲最主要考量。

關鍵字

信託 ； 跨國信託 ； 國際信託 ； 涉外信託 ； 法律適用法 ； 準據法 ； 承認 ； 海牙信託公約 ； 海牙國際私法會議 ； 當事人意思自主 ； 最密切牽連 ； 合法意願

並列摘要

A trust may cross boundaries. When it does, legal difficulties and controversies arise. Will the trusts concept be the same in a foreign country? Will the rights, powers, and duties of the settlor, trustee, and beneficiary differ? Which legal system will be the proper law of the trust? Within what extent does a foreign trust need to be recognized in forum state, which does not have the institution in its domestic law?
The Convention of 1 July 1985 on the Law Applicable to Trusts and on Their Recognition (Hague Trusts Convention) is the most influential international regulation de jure or de facto, in the field of transnational trusts. It was enacted to ameliorate the above-mentioned situations by providing harmonized conflicts rules for express trusts as well as the recognition of foreign trusts in contracting states.
Taiwan is neither the member state of the Hague Conference on Private International Law nor the contracting state of Hague Trust Convention. However, the conflicts rules and principles set forth in the Hague Trusts Convention demonstrate the prevailing values with regard to manage transnational trusts disputes. As long as trusts conflicts rule remains unprovided within Taiwan's Private International Law system, the author of this article is of the opinion that the Hague Trusts Convention conflicts rules for express trust and the principles for recognitions of foreign trusts could be introduced into Taiwan for references.
The general principle of the Hague Trusts Convention conflicts law follows the doctrine of party autonomy, i. e., a trust is governed by the law chosen by the settlor. Yet, where no applicable law has been chosen, the Hague Trusts Convention adopted the so-called ”the most closely connected (the most significant relationship) test”. The author recommends further that the courts, when ascertaining the proper law of a given international trust case, lay emphasis on the most influencing consideration-the fulfillment of the settlor's justified expectation, which obviously being the prevailing value of express trusts.

並列關鍵字

Trusts ； Transnational Trusts ； International Trusts ； Foreign Trusts ； Conflicts Law ； Applicable Law ； Recognition ； Hague Trusts Convention ； Hague Conference on Private International Law ； Party Autonomy ； The Most Closely Connected Test ； Justified Expectation