【线上云德】疫情期间律师说（七十七）|不可抗力与情势变更的衔接

不可抗力的客观要件可以从时间维度上把握，不能避免是指在客观情况发生过程中未能阻止，不能克服是指客观情况发生之后不可逆。以不可抗力的构成要件去审视，新冠肺炎疫情可以一般性地构成不可抗力，但需要在个案中进行具体考察。新冠肺炎疫情作为不可抗力免责和不免责都需要具备相应的条件，在具体的免责适用中，也不是全部免除或不免除，而存在免责和减责的区分。另一方面，新冠肺炎疫情也符合情势变更的构成要件，但在现行法的框架下，情势变更排斥不可抗力。但在民法典草案的框架下，这种排斥将被取消。取消之后，情势变更将兼容不可抗力。在因情势变更而解除合同的场合，如果需要赔偿损失的，还可以直接适用不可抗力减免责任规则，对损失赔偿的数额进行调整，从而使得不可抗力和情势变更很好地衔接起来。

Theobjective requirements of force majeure can be grasped from the time dimension.Inescapability refers to the failure to prevent the occurrence of the objectivesituation, and the inability to overcome it refers to the irreversibleoccurrence of the objective situation. According to the constitutiverequirements of force majeure, covid-19 outbreak can generally constitute forcemajeure, but it needs to be investigated in a specific case. COVID-19 epidemicas a force majeure exemption and exemption need to have the correspondingconditions, in the specific application of exemption, not all exemption orexemption, but there is a distinction between exemption and reduction ofliability. On the other hand, covid-19 outbreak also meets the constitutiverequirements of situational change, but under the framework of current law,situational change excludes force majeure. Under the framework of the draftcivil code, however, this exclusion will be lifted. After cancellation, thechange of circumstances will be compatible with force majeure. Where thecontract is terminated due to a change of circumstances, if compensation forlosses is required, the liability reduction rules for force majeure may bedirectly applied to adjust the amount of compensation for losses so as to makea good connection between force majeure and the change of circumstances.

不可抗力制度下，事件对当事人合同义务的适当履行造成不能克服与不能规避的障碍，即合同尚未履行的部分无法继续全部或者部分履行。情势变更制度下，事件对当事人合同义务的履行或许不构成障碍，或许构成可以克服或者规避的障碍，但是继续履行的结果，对义务人明显不公平。因此，前者强调克服或者规避履行障碍的难度过高，后者强调继续履行的成本过高。此外，所谓履行障碍的“不能克服与不能规避”有时并非绝对，因此，实务中，可能存在不可抗力情形向情势变更情形的转化，即一般不能克服或者规避的履约障碍，在特定情形下，可能通过支付较大的成本加以克服，使合同得以继续履行。

Underthe force majeure system, events cause insurmountable and unavoidable obstaclesto the proper performance of the parties' contractual obligations, that is, thepart of the contract that has not been performed cannot continue to beperformed in whole or in part. Under the system of change of circumstances, anevent may not constitute an obstacle to the performance of the parties'contractual obligations, or an obstacle that can be overcome or avoided, butthe result of continuing performance is obviously unfair to the obligor.Therefore, the former emphasizes that it is too difficult to overcome or avoidperformance obstacles, while the latter emphasizes that the cost of continuingperformance is too high. Perform obstacles in addition, the so-called"cannot overcome and can't avoid" sometimes is not absolute, therefore,in practice, there may be a force majeure situation changes to the situation oftransformation, which generally cannot overcome or avoid performance obstacle,in certain circumstances, may through overcoming pay great cost, to continue toperform the contract.

此外，情势变更制度下，受不利影响的当事人请求变更合同内容，如果裁判者根据公平原则，并结合案件的实际情况确定其主张变更的理由成立，在变更幅度考量时，应当以消除明显或者过度的不公平为目的，而非变更至完全公平对等的状态，特别是，在非情势变更的正常情形下，如果合同约定的某些内容本身虽并非完全公平对等，但尚不构成显失公平时，裁判者不应以适用情势变更制度、遵循公平原则为由，对请求权人借机提出的将合同变更至完全公平对等状态的主张予以全盘支持。

Inaddition, the system of changed circumstances, the party affected by the badrequest changes contract content, if the judge in accordance with the principleof fairness, and combining the actual situation of the case to determine thecase for change in the change of amplitude considerations, should be toeliminate the obvious or excessive unfair for the purpose, rather than tochange entirely fair equivalent condition, in particular, in a material adversechange in the normal case, if some contents of the contract itself, though notentirely fair equivalence, but does not yet constitute a significant loss ofjustice, the judge should not be on the grounds that the applicable situationchange system and to follow the principle of fairness, The claim made by theclaimant to change the contract to a state of complete fairness and equivalenceis fully supported.

在不可抗力制度下，根据《合同法》第118条的规定，因不可抗力不能履行合同的当事人，应当及时通知对方，以减轻可能给对方造成的损失，并应当在合理期限内提供证明。反言之，因通知迟延给对方造成损失的，应当赔偿；在合理期限内未提供证明的，可能导致不可抗力制度不被适用；在合理期限内提供的证明不充分的，可能导致不可抗力制度不被适用，或者受不可抗力不利影响的当事人只能部分免责。裁判者宜综合考虑当事人举证的客观可能性、举证难度、举证及时性和全面性，并结合优势证据规则，对于客观上难以充分举证的不可抗力免责争议案件，更多通过确定部分免责，以缓和非黑即白的极端裁判立场，对于个案中影响责任大小的其他因素，裁判者仍可以行使自由裁量权，通过认定免责的不同比例加以考虑。

Underthe force majeure system, in accordance with the provisions of article 118 ofthe contract law, the party who is unable to perform the contract due to forcemajeure shall promptly notify the other party to mitigate the possible lossesto the other party, and shall provide evidence within a reasonable time. Wherethe delay in notification causes losses to the other party, compensation shallbe made; Failure to provide proof within a reasonable time may result in theforce majeure system not being applied; If the proof provided within areasonable period of time is not sufficient, the force majeure system may notbe applied, or the parties adversely affected by the force majeure can only bepartially exempted from liability. Judge should consider the objectivepossibility, difficulty of proof, proof proof timeliness and comprehensiveness,and combining the advantages of evidence rules, difficult for objectivelysufficient proof of force majeure liability disputes, more part by determiningliability, in order to ease the extreme black and white position by the refereefor cases of other factors affecting the responsibility size, may stillexercise the right of discretion, judge by different proportions that exemptioninto consideration.