英文合同中的不可抗力条款（Force Majeure Clause）是指对于发生不可抗力事件导致合同一方不能履行合同义务，则在所证明的不可抗力事件影响的范围内，该方可免除部分或全部合同责任，因此该条款实际上也是一项免责条款。

 

合同中的不可抗力事件（event of force majeure）通常则是指不可预见、不能控制、且阻碍当事人履行合同义务的特殊性事件，如天灾、火灾、供应商或分包商未能按照协议向供应商供货，以及罢工和其他妨碍供应商履行协议的劳动争议。

 

《牛津法律词典》：“Irresistible compulsion or coercion. The phrase is used particularly in commercial contracts to describe events possibly affecting the contract and that are completely outside the parties’ control. Such events are normally listed in full to ensure their enforceability; their may be include “acts of God, fires, failure of suppliers or subcontractors to supply the suppliers under the agreement, and strikes and other labour disputes that interfere with the suppliers’ performance of an agreement. An express clause would normally excuse both delay and a total failure to perform the agreement.”

 

一般来说，不可抗力条款中应当包括以下几个方面的内容：

1.不可抗力发生的原因；或本合同中规定的不可抗力事件具体有哪几项：

If either Party delays or is prevented from performing the Contract due to unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable objective conditions (referred to as “force majeure”), it shall be exempted from liability for breach of contract in part or in whole according to the impact of such force majeure.

任何一方如果因为不能预见、不能避免并不能克服的客观情况（简称“不可抗力”）延迟履行合同或者不能履行合同的，根据不可抗力的影响，部分或全部免除违约责任。

Any event or circumstance beyond control shall be regarded as Force Majeure but not restricted to fire, wind, flood, earthquake, explosion, rebellion, epidemic， quarantine and segregation.

如果遭遇无法控制的时间或情况应视为不可抗力，包括但不限于火灾、风灾、水灾、地震、爆炸、叛乱、传染、检疫、隔离。

 

2. 不可抗力发生后通知对方的期限、通知的方法以及应当提交的证明文件：

If either Party hereto is prevented from performing any of its obligations under the Contract due to force majeure, the Party shall immediately notify the other Party of the force majeure, and within 14 days after the force majeure, send by airmail to the other Party the certificate of force majeure issued by the legal government authority in the place where the force majeure event occurred as evidence of the force majeure event.

如果合同一方因不可抗力使其履行合同规定的任何义务受到阻碍，该方应立即将不可抗力的发生通知对方，并于不可抗力发生后14日内将不可抗力发生地权威、合法的政府机构出具的不可抗力证明文件用航空邮件寄交对方作为不可抗力事件发生的证据。

If any delivery hereunder shall be so delayed or prevented for more than thirty (30） days, either seller or buyer may terminate this contract with respect to such delivery upon written notice to the other party.

合同规定的交货若交货延迟或无法交货达30(叁拾）日以上 ,买卖任一方就此情况向合同另一方出具书面通知书之后, 有权终止本合同。

 

3. 不可抗力发生的免责事项及善后处理事项；受影响的一方拥有的权利等：

由于不可抗力造成一方当事人无法履行或迟延履行本合同义务时，该方当事人可以免责；在不可抗力期间，受影响的一方当事人在不可抗力发生期间可以暂停履行本合同。若不可抗力事件在本合同签定前已发生，且其对本合同的履行的影响在签定合同时无法预见，有权暂停。

Neither Party shall be liable to the other for damages caused by the failure or delay in fulfilling any obligation under this Agreement if such failure is caused by an Event of Force Majeure. The affected Party may suspend performance of this Agreement, during the period of an Event of Force Majeure. An Event of Force Majeure, which has occurred prior to the formation of the Agreement, shall give a right to suspension only if its effect on the performance of the Agreement could not have been foreseen at the time of the formation of the Agreement.

 

不可抗力的通用模板：

Neither Party shall be liable to the other for any failure to perform or delay in performance of the terms of this Contract, if such a failure or delay is caused by a Force Majeure event.

若因不可抗力事件造成合同不能履行或延迟履行，则合同任何一方不应对另一方未能履行或延迟履行合同条款负责。

If either Party delays or is prevented from performing the Contract due to Force Majeure event, it shall be exempted from liability for breach of contract in part or in whole according to the impact of such Force Majeure.

任何一方如果因为不可抗力事件延迟履行合同或者不能履行合同的，根据不可抗力的影响，部分或全部免除违约责任。

 

来源：译问