Application of the Public Policy Exception in the Context of International Contracts – The Rome I Regulation Approach

The article examines the role and employment of the public-policy exception in private international law from the perspective of the law applicable to contractual obligations. To begin with, prerequisites for recourse to the public-policy clause are investigated, to illustrate why this exceptional clause is likely to come into play rather infrequently, as indeed should be the case. The article then analyses the relativity of ordre public, exploring three dimensions to be considered in the courts’ use of the public-policy exception in a particular case. In summary, the author concludes that, notwithstanding its highly restrictive application criteria and, therefore, infrequent application, dispensing with the public-policy exception would be unthinkable even within the domain of international contracts. The regulation of public policy in the Rome I Regulation constitutes an abstract and flexible instrument, thereby allowing appropriate response to the issues of a changing society

Law Applicable to Consumer Contracts: Interaction of the Rome I Regulation and EU-directive-based Rules on Conflicts of Laws

The article discusses the abundance and interaction of rules aimed at determining the law applicable to cross-border consumer contracts. Firstly, it examines whether there is a continuing need for conflict-of-laws rules that stem from consumer-related directives. It then addresses the question of whether the Estonian Law of Obligations Act’s conflict-of-laws rules comply with the consumer-related directives. Lastly, the relations between the conflict‑of‑laws rules stemming from consumer-related directives and the Rome I Regulation are analysed. The authors conclude that the level of consumer protection afforded by Rome I seems to allow for a waiver of the various simultaneously existing directive-based conflict rules. Such renunciation would not only resolve the issue of inaccurate transposition to national laws – an apparent problem for the Estonian legislator as well – but also contribute to legal certainty. While the conflict-of-laws rules of Rome I and the national directive-based rules coexist, the latter are to be considered subordinately to Rome I. The conflict rules of the Estonian Law of Obligations Act are deemed to be only domestically mandatory and therefore not to be viewed as overriding mandatory rules in the sense of Article 9 of Rome I

Imperatiivsed normid Eesti ja Euroopa rahvusvahelise lepinguõiguse kontekstis tarbijate ja lähetatud töötajate näitel

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneRahvusvahelises lepinguõiguses kehtivast lepinguvabaduse põhimõttest tulenevalt on lepingupooltel õigus ise kokku leppida, millise riigi õigust nendevahelisele lepingule kohaldada tuleb. Rooma I määrus, mis reguleerib lepingulistele võlasuhetele kohaldatavat õigust, näeb selles osas siiski ette mitmeid olulisi piiranguid. Muuhulgas kuuluvad siia piirangud, mille eesmärgiks on kohtu asukohariigi olulisimate põhimõtete kaitse (nt kohtu asukohariigi üldist kehtivust omavad sätted ja avalik kord), aga ka lepingulises suhtes eelduslikult nõrgemat poolt kaitsvad sätted (nt tarbija- ja individuaalsete töölepingute osas). Nende üldiste ja spetsiifiliste kohaldatava õiguse valiku vabaduse põhimõtet piiravate normide omavaheline vahekord ei ole siiski selge. Lisaks tuleb arvestada, et tarbijalepingute ja individuaalsete töölepingute osas on EL-s vastu võetud mitmeid eri direktiive, mis omakorda sisaldavad kohaldatava õiguse valikut piiravaid sätteid ja mis erinevalt EL määrustest tuleb riigisisesesse õigusesse täiendavalt üle võtta. Seega vajab käsitlemist ka küsimus, milline on direktiivide ja neil põhinevate riigisiseste sätete roll Rooma I määruses sisalduvate nõrgema lepingupoole kaitsesätete kõrval, aga ka Rooma I määruses sisalduvate avalikku huvi kaitsvate normide kõrval. Samuti tuleb analüüsida, kas direktiivid on töös käsitletavas osas Eesti õigusesse õigesti üle võetud ning kas neid rakendatakse õigesti. Eelnev ongi doktoritöö eesmärgiks. Töös jõutakse järeldusele, et tarbijalepingute direktiivide osas võiksid kollisiooniõiguslikud küsimused edaspidi jääda Rooma I määruse lahendada, lähetatud töötajate töölepingute osas aga on jätkuvalt vajadus ka lähetatud töötajate erisusi arvestava direktiivi järele. Avaliku korra erandi roll tarbijate ja lähetatud töötajate kaitsmisel jääb väitekirjas toodust nähtuvalt ka edaspidi tõenäoliselt üksnes marginaalseks.International contract law is known to widely adhere to the principle of freedom of choice of law. Therefore, the parties to the contract are generally free to choose the law to govern their contract. Nevertheless, the Rome I Regulation, which regulates the law applicable to contractual obligations, also sets forth certain important limits to party autonomy. These serve mainly to safeguard the fundamental principles of the forum country (e.g overall mandatory provisions and public policy clause) as well as to protect the typically weaker parties to international contracts (these include, for example, contracts with consumers and employees). However, the interface of these general and specific limitations to party autonomy is unsettled. What is more, the criteria to designate the law applicable to such contracts involving a weaker party is, in domains such as various consumer contracts and individual employment contracts involving the posting of workers, further supplemented by specific conflict-of-law provisions deriving from different EU directives that require transposition into national laws. It is therefore worth asking which role do these directives and their national implementing measures play in relation to the protective rules already established in the Rome I Regulation. In addition, the conformity of the Estonian transposing provisions as well as of the Estonian jurisprudence to the directives need further analysis. These are the matters this research aims to tackle. The dissertation concludes that the questions of determining whether the consumer retains the protection granted by the directives in situations wherein the law applicable to the contract is that of a third country should subsequently be referred to the Rome I Regulation. However, it also indicates the continuous need, in addition to the Rome I Regulation, for an instrument which takes into account the specificities of postings. Finally, the research leads to the conclusion that the role of the public policy exception in protecting consumers and posted workers is likely to remain marginal.https://www.ester.ee/record=b526404

Termodünaamika ja statistiline füüsika. 1. [osa], (Fenomenoloogiline termodünaamika) : [loengukonspekt]

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1242208*es

Väitluse mõju uurimine keskkonnateadlikkuse ja põhjendamisoskuse arengule

Aktiivõpe rollimängu ja väitlusega tagab suure hulga õpilaste kaasamise tunnitegevusse. Koostati õppematerjal „Kose–Tammiku karjääri rajamine“, rollikirjeldused ja lisamaterjalid väitluseks valmistumiseks. Toimusid 15-minutilised väitlused, kus ühes tunnis väitles kuni 24 õpilast. Uuriti õpilaste hinnanguid, keskkonnateadlikkust ning põhjendamisoskust enne ja pärast õppemeetodite rakendamist. Õpilaste otsus põlevkivikarjääri rajamises suhtes ei muutunud. Rollimängu ja väitlust hindasid õpilased ja õpetajad kasulikuks ja huvitavaks õppemeetodiks, õppematerjale tunnis rakendatavaks

Forests for university education: The example of Estonia

Teaching methods change during times. The authors consider it essential to anchor the theoretical part of studies with practice in the natural environment. Therefore, to ensure the achievement of leaming outcomes, practical training is included in a number of courses in Estonian academic forestry education. The history of academic forestry education in Estonia starts in 1920. The Experimental Forest District at Järvselja was established in 1921. Since 1997 its name is the Foundation Järvselja Experimental and Training Centre and it belongs to the Estonian University of Life Sciences. The Järvselja Center's total area is 10 553 ha. Forest land comprises 6 626 ha, of which 2 723 ha are protected. Bogs form 3 147 ha of the Järvselja Centre's land. Järvselja Experimental and Training Centre is the only one in Estonia which has complete infrastructure for accommodation and catering. Every year Estonian forestry students have various practical training courses in Järvselja. In most cases, practical training is held in summer, but some courses are offered in winter (e.g. forest and timber measurement) as well. Also every year some graduation theses are defended on themes done in Järvselja forests. Forests in Järvselja are used to carry out several research projects, too

Hans-Georg Gadamer and Kantian approaches to art

This bachelor’s thesis aims to give a brief overview of the aesthetic theories of Immanuel Kant and Hans-Georg Gadamer. Kant’s main goal with his Critique of Judgment was to complete his system of critical philosophy by finding a link between nature and morality in the faculty of reflective judgment. Kant’s descendants in the spirit of his critical philosophy disregarded everything which did not satisfy the criteria of natural sciences as subjective. Therefore, Gadamer blames Kant for the advent of what he calls “aesthetic consciousness”, a view which separates a work of art from its deeper meaning and place in history, only emphasizing its immediate, empirically perceived aesthetic qualities. Thus Gadamer claims that because of this, it is now significantly more difficult for people to experience the type of truth that is inherent in art, which leads people towards self-understanding. Kristin Gjesdal however claims that Gadamer has misconstrued Kant’s views. Her main criticism towards Gadamer is that he has not properly understood Kant’s views on the experience of natural beauty, which Kant views as intrinsically meaningful. Gadamer on the other hand finds nature to be hermeneutically empty, because one is able to assign any kind of meaning to nature according to their subjective mood.Gadameri filosoofia peamiseks taotluseks on näidata, et kunstis leidub teatud sorti tõde, mis võimaldab avardada meie maailma- ja enesemõistmist ning suudab inimest muuta. Moodsa loodusteaduse arenedes ja Kanti filosoofia vaimus said aga hoopis loodusteadused tõe etaloniks. Kunsti hakati selle taustal vaatlema kui pelgalt esteetilist nähtust, mis pakub inimestele vaid esteetilisi elamusi. Taolist kunstikogemust nimetab Gadamer esteetiliseks teadvuseks. Esteetilise teadvuse juures taandatakse teose tähendus vaid selle esteetilistele omadustele, mis on lahutatud teose ajaloolisest kontekstist. Gadamer vastandub sellisele kunstikäsitlusele, sest Gadameri järgi on kunst ajalooliselt kujunenud mõistuse ja vaimu tulemus.https://www.ester.ee/record=b550716

Longituuduuring eelkooliealiste laste arusaamadest tervislikust toitumisest

Antud uuringus selgitati poeg- ja tütarlaste arusaamasid tervislikust toitumisest, võttes aluseks toidupüramiidi. Eesmärgiks oli uurida, kas nende arusaamad tervislikust toitumisest on erinevad. Lisaks võrreldi ka normaal- ja ülekaalus laste arusaamasid tervislikust toidust. Selle uurimiseks kasutati terviseuuringu IDEFICS raames lastega läbiviidud intervjuusid. Eesmärgi saavutamiseks viidi läbi longituuduuring Tartu linna lasteaialaste seas (5.-7,4. eluaastat). Esimene uuring teostati 1.11.07-29.04.08. ning kordusuuring samade katseisikutega teostati 17.11.09-10.06.10. Tulemustest selgus, et laste arusaamad tervislikust toidust on aja möödudes oluliselt muutunud ning tütar- ja poeglaste arusaamad tervislikust toidust on erinevad. Toidugruppide siseselt olulisi erinevusi poeg- ja tütarlaste arvamuses ei esinenud. Normaalkaalus laste arvamuses tervislikust toidust toimus mitmeid muutusi, samas kui ülekaaluliste laste arusaamad oluliselt ei muutunud.http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2647855~S1*es

Benefication of Estonian phosphate ore by flotataion

Sole active mining phosphate operation in European Union (EU) is in Finland Siilinjärvi with limited resources available for approximately next 20-30 years [1]. In this context it is important that Estonia holds the largest unused sedimentary phosphate rock reserve in EU. Estonian phosphate is a sedimentary rock composed of variegated sandstone that contains abundant remains (detritus) of (biogenic) phosphatic brachiopod shells [2]. Phosphate enriched beds occur stratigraphically at the transition between Cambrian and Ordovician and the phosphatic sandstones belong to Kallavere formation. The biogenic phosphate is dominated by francolite mineral phase. The P2O5 content of the sandstone beds is quite low varying between 6–20% [3]. However, the brachiopod shells and detritus contain up to 35–37% of P2O5 and sandstone is weakly cemented that allows rather efficient enrichment of the phosphate ore. Despite of its economical and, perhaps, political importance, Estonian phosphate rock is currently not mined or explored due to concerns over the ecological impact of phosphate rock mining. The main concern is on the environmental effects of the rock mining in the inhabited area with numerous settlements and intensive agricultural use. Please download the file below for full content