Los

Abstract

Este artículo analiza la tendencia a la flexibilización del paradigma de la norma de conflicto multilateral a través del principio de proximidad y cláusulas de excepción y una tendencia similar en la doctrina, legislación y jurisprudencia de los Estados Unidos, con la particularidad de que las normas se sustituyen por «approaches» o directivas para los jueces, policies principles o normas abiertas. Las diferencias entre ambos modelos son importantes puesto que el juez europeo continental aunque habilitado para culminar la obra del legislador continúa sometido a la ley y sus objetivos.

In continental European Civil Law the general tendency in national systems of Private International Law towards flexibility of its rules introduced important changes in the multilateral conflicts rule paradigm through devices such as the search for the «closest connection» or escape clauses. This paper intends to point out that something similar may be observed in American legal doctrine, court decisions and legislation, with a difference, however, because rules tend to be substituted by approaches or guidelines for judges, standards, principles or just open-ended rules. There are important conclusions to be drawn in the comparison of both models but, significantly, the European continental system does not release the judge from his commitment to the rules of Law and their objectives.