The Hague Conventions on Private International Law and State Succession

The last decade has seen a most encouraging territorial extension of the application of the Hague Conventions. This may, to some extent, be attributed to the efforts of Member States to extend the application of such treaties to territories for the international relations of which they are responsible. The United Kingdom has been particularly active in this respect, extending the application of the Convention on the Conflict of Laws Relating to the Form of Testamentary Dispositions to 28 territories, and that Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents to 34 territories. Whilst this adds a new dimension to the Conventions, it does pose problems when the territories become independent.