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Turkey: The Treatment of Foreign Law in Turkey

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Treatment of Foreign Law - Dynamics towards Convergence?

Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law ((GSCL,volume 26))

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Abstract

This paper deals with the treatment of foreign law under Turkish private international law. The paper initially explains the legal history in this area of law by introducing the preceding legislative acts and the law currently in force entitled “Private International Law and International Civil Procedure Law” (“PILA”). After presenting PILA’s scope of application, the paper examines the application of foreign law before Turkish courts in light of certain articles of PILA and Turkish civil law. Accordingly, where the conflicts of laws rules indicate so, it is the judge’s duty to accurately apply foreign law to disputes with a foreign element ex officio. In connection with this duty, parties’ limited role in determining the applicable law, the judge’s obligation to obtain information to ascertain the content of foreign law and the examination by the court of cassation are explained. The paper then details the means and legal sources provided to judges for access to foreign law. Nevertheless, it is stated that in practice judges are reluctant to apply foreign law for constraints in time and knowledge.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Law no. 4875 on Direct Foreign Investments has been enacted in 2003 with the aim of providing incentives for direct foreign investments in Turkey. This law replaced a former equivalent: “Law no. 6224 concerning the Encouragement of Foreign Capital” (Official Gazette, 18.1.1954-8615).

  2. 2.

    TEKINALP, G., Milletlerarası Özel Hukuk Bağlama Kuralları (Private International Law Conflict of Law Rules), 11.Edition, Istanbul, 2011, 2.

  3. 3.

    Law no. 2675 and dated 20.5.1982 (Official Gazette. 22.6.1982-17701).

  4. 4.

    TEKINALP, G., 4;. CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., Milletlerarası Özel Hukuk (International Private Law), 12. Edition, Istanbul, 2012, 41.

  5. 5.

    Official Gazette. 6.2.1983-17951.

  6. 6.

    Turkish Civil Code no. 4721 (Official Gazette. 8.12.2001-24607).

  7. 7.

    Law no. 5718 and dated 27.11.2007 (Official Gazette. 12.12.2007-26728). For an English translation see ‘Texts, Materials and Recent Developments. Turkey: The 2007 Turkish Code on Private International Law and International Civil Procedure’, Yearbook of Private International Law (9) 2007, 583–604. For a German translation of the Code, see KRÜGER, H. and ERTAN N.F., ‘Neues Internationales Privatrecht in der Türkei’, IPRax 2008, 283–290.

  8. 8.

    Preamble No. 18 of the PILA.

  9. 9.

    TEKINALP, G., 5.

  10. 10.

    In Article 1 of PILA, the scope of the application is indicated as: “The law applicable to transactions and relations pertaining to private law that involve a foreign element, the international jurisdiction of Turkish courts, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are stipulated by this Act.”

  11. 11.

    TEKINALP, G., 22.

  12. 12.

    It must be noted that beside PILA, the Turkish Commercial Code contains provisions regarding conflict of law rules. For example, Articles 766 and 767 of the Commercial Code are applied to foreign exchange transactions containing a foreign element.

  13. 13.

    For more information on Turkish private international law, see TEKINALP, G., ‘The 2007 Turkish Code Concerning Private International Law and International Civil Procedure’, Yearbook of Private International Law 2007, 313–341; TEKINALP, G., NOMER, E. and ODMAN, A., in: B. Verschraegen (ed.), International Encyclopaedia for Private International Law, Kluwer 2012, Chapter on Turkey; TARMAN, Z.D., Remarks on the General Principles of Turkish Private International Law, Honorary Volume for Professor Emeritus Sp. Vrellis 2014, 825–836; TARMAN, Z.D., The Applicable Law to Contractual and Non-contractual Obligations under Turkish Private International Law, Nederland Internationaal Privaatrecht (NIPR) 2009/1, 15–24; SURAL C./ TARMAN Z.D., Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Court Decisions in Turkey, Yearbook of Private International Law, Volume 15 (2013/2014), 485–508.

  14. 14.

    NOMER, E., Devletler Hususi Hukuku (International Private Law), 20. Edition, Istanbul, 2011, 20.

  15. 15.

    NOMER, E., 109.

  16. 16.

    NOMER, E., 186; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., Milletlerarası Özel Hukuk (Private International Law), 2.Edition, Istanbul, 2014, 62.

  17. 17.

    NOMER, E., 161.

  18. 18.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 149.

  19. 19.

    DICEY A. V./MORRIS J.H.C., The Conflict of Laws, 12th ed. by Lawrence Collins with specialist editors, 2011, 226.

  20. 20.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 172–173; NOMER, E., 186.

  21. 21.

    TEKINALP, G., 57; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 68.

  22. 22.

    NOMER, E., 188.

  23. 23.

    TEKINALP, G., 57.

  24. 24.

    CELIKEL, A. /ERDEM, B., 174.

  25. 25.

    NOMER, E., 188.

  26. 26.

    Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation (O.G. 20.9.1995-22410): This decision regarding a divorce case serves as a model: “The parties have foreign nationalities. According to the rule in PILA, the divorce is not subject to Turkish law…It is not allowed to decide only according to the parties’ will which says that Turkish law is to be applied”. In Turkish law, the grounds for and the effects of divorce and separation shall be governed by the common national law of the parties. Where the parties have different nationalities, the law of common habitual residence, if this does not exist, Turkish law shall apply (PILA Article 14). The choice of law is not allowed (www.kazanci.com).”

  27. 27.

    Civil Department no.11 of Court of Cassation, E.1997/5344, K.1997/5910, 16.9.1997: “Pursuant to Turkish law the judge must make a decision ex officio (Code of Civil Procedure Art. 76) and the judge applies the conflict of law rules by its own motion (Law no.2675, Art.2/I). There is not any hesitation in the doctrine and in the practice of the courts. The application of foreign law should not be necessarily brought forward by the parties under Turkish procedural law. The judge ascertains the foreign law according to the private international law rules. This is judge’s official duty” (www.kazanci.com).

  28. 28.

    NOMER, E., 186. SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 62.

  29. 29.

    NOMER E., 187.

  30. 30.

    SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 69.

  31. 31.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 174; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 67.

  32. 32.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 174.

  33. 33.

    NOMER, E., 192.

  34. 34.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 174.

  35. 35.

    Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.16427/K.54973, 4.2007: “…It is not safe to make a decision and ascertain the content of foreign law without asking the help of the parties, benefiting from the European Convention on Information on Foreign Law, applying ex officio the foreign law in light of this information (PILA Art.2/I)” In the same direction: Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.2006/21951, K.2007/17742, 25.12.2007 and Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.2008/13740, K.2008/14696, 6.11.2008 (www.kazanci.com).

  36. 36.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 174; NOMER E., 193.

  37. 37.

    NOMER, E., 194.

  38. 38.

    CELIKEL, A./ERDEM, B., 179; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I.,70. In the same direction: Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.6548, K.1610, 18.3.1969.

  39. 39.

    http://conventions.coe.int, CETS No:062 (46 countries including Turkey ratified the convention status as of 20.10.2014).

  40. 40.

    Official Gazette. 26.8.1975-15338. Turkey, at the same time, is also a party to the additional protocol of the convention. Official Gazette. 14.4.2004-25433.

  41. 41.

    Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.2006/16427, K.2007/5497, 3.4.2007; Civil Department no.2 of Court of Cassation, E.2006/21951, K.2007/17742, 25.12.2007 (www.kazanci.com).

  42. 42.

    NOMER E., 192; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 66.

  43. 43.

    Civil Department no.11 of Court of Cassation, E.1997/5344, K.1997/5910, 16.9.1997 (www.kazanci.com).

  44. 44.

    NOMER, E., 192–193.

  45. 45.

    NOMER, E., 193; SANLI, C./ESEN E./ATAMAN F.I., 67.

  46. 46.

    http://www.ejn-crimjust.europa.eu/ejn/

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Private International Law, Koc University Law School, Rumeli Feneri yolu, 34450, Sariyer/Istanbul, Turkey

    Zeynep Derya Tarman (Associate Professor)

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  1. Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Yuko Nishitani

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Tarman, Z.D. (2017). Turkey: The Treatment of Foreign Law in Turkey. In: Nishitani, Y. (eds) Treatment of Foreign Law - Dynamics towards Convergence?. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56574-3_27

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