GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE AUTONOMOUS INTERPRETATION OF THE CONVENTION ON CONTRACTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS Tom Allen
1. Introduction This article focuses on a specific question: is the interpretation of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods1 (‘CISG’) governed by the principles of public international law on the interpretation of treaties? The CISG is one of the most important treaties on uniform law, with over 76 ratifying States, including most European States and most of world’s important trading States.2 The answer to this question therefore sheds light on the place of international treaties aimed at the unification of international commercial law within the general field of public international law.