Autonomy of Will in Cross-Border Torts

The paper examines Russian and European legislation, doctrine and judicial practice devoted to the autonomy of will in cross-border torts. In Russian legislation, autonomy of will appeared due to the innovations caused by the Federal Law of September 30, 2013 No. 260‑FZ «On Amendments to Part Three of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation». This law, in turn, was based on the provisions of Regulation No. 864/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations. During the Soviet period, conflict of laws regulation of cross-border torts was limited to the application of domestic law. An analysis of more than a decade of use of autonomy of will in cross-border torts in Russia and abroad has shown a relatively low demand for the norm, which is due to legal, psychological, and classification reasons. At the same time, an appeal to the autonomy of will in cross-border torts involving private individuals may be justified if the parties want to choose, from their point of view, the optimal, modern, and easier to apply legal regulation.