pacta sunt servanda

Latin plural of pactum (“pact”) + sunt servanda (“must be kept”), after pacta et promissa semperne servanda sint (“whether agreements and promises should always be kept”) in Cicero, De Oficiis 3.92.

pacta sunt servanda

1. (law) Agreements must be kept.
   • 2004, FA Engelen, Interpretation of Tax Treaties under International Law, page 125:

     In the law of treaties, the most important manifestation of the principle of good faith is undoubtedly the rule of pacta sunt servanda.

   • 2015, Susan Pedersen, ‘At least we worried’, London Review of Books, volume 37, number 12:

     Painstakingly negotiated agreements governed many aspects of international relations; the doctrine of pacta sunt servanda dictated that those agreements be obeyed.

• a promise is a promise

Ultimately derived from Latin.

pacta sunt servanda

1. (law) pacta sunt servanda; agreements must be kept
   • 1922 August 18, Oberlandesgerichtsrat dr Blomeyer, “Domstolarna och de tyska kontraktsbrotten [The courts and the German breaches of contract]”, in Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning, via Svenska tidningar, page 1:

     Lagbokens författare ha på sin tid övervägt, om man borde statuera en allmän rättssats av innehåll, att man skulle kunna frångå ett kontrakt om omständigheter tillkommo under vilka det ej skulle ha avslutits. Dessa tankar förkastades emellertid och man fasthöll vid grundsatsen "pacta sunt servanda" – kontrakt måste fullgöras.

     The authors of the code of law once considered whether a general legal principle should be established, stipulating that one could abandon a contract if circumstances arose under which it would not have been concluded. These thoughts, however, were rejected, and the principle "pacta sunt servanda" – contracts must be fulfilled – was upheld.

   • 2016 December 22, Stefan Wahlberg, “Efter gårdagens dom i EU-domstolen kan låntagare och jurister andas ut – banken vinner inte alltid [After yesterday's ruling in the EU Court of Justice, borrowers and lawyers can breathe a sigh of relief – the bank doesn't always win]”, in Dagens Jurudik:

     Före finanskrisen var det ytterst svårt att få en fällande dom mot finansinstitut och banker då flertalet domare ansåg att konsumenterna ägde skyldighet att införskaffa sig informationen innan de ingick avtalet. I relationen med bankerna rådde därmed god sed och följaktligen gällde grundprincipen pacta sunt servanda.

     Before the financial crisis, it was extremely difficult to get a conviction against financial institutions and banks, as most judges believed that consumers were responsible for obtaining the necessary information before entering into the agreement. In dealings with banks, good practice prevailed, and consequently, the fundamental principle of pacta sunt servanda applied.

   • 2019 January 15, Josefin Wicklund, “En röst på Centern var alltså en röst på – Stefan Löfven?! [A vote for the Centre Party turned out to be a vote for – Stefan Löfven?!]”, in SVT Nyheter (opinion piece):

     Den 11 januari visade sig en röst på Centerpartiet vara en röst på en bruten allians och på Stefan Löfven som statsminister. Detta är ett så grovt löftesbrott att det borde anses att Annie Lööf har brutit mot en av de mest fundamentala rättsprinciperna i Sverige – pacta sunt servanda.

     On 11 January, a vote for the Centre Party turned out to be a vote for a broken alliance and for Stefan Löfven as prime minister. This is such a serious breach of promise that Annie Lööf should be considered to have violated one of the most fundamental legal principles in Sweden – pacta sunt servanda.