Hardship clause

Définition

A hardship clause entitles the parties to renegotiate, adjust or terminate a contract when unforeseen circumstances make performance excessively onerous without making it impossible (which would be force majeure). It puts the statutory doctrine of unforeseen circumstances in article 6:258 BW into contractual form; that doctrine allows a court to modify or dissolve a contract where reasonableness and fairness require it. Such clauses are common in long-term supply, energy and construction contracts.

Exemple

When raw-material prices triple unexpectedly, a hardship clause obliges the parties to renegotiate the agreed price in good faith.

Pourquoi c'est un risque pour l'entreprise

Without a hardship clause, a business locked into a long-term contract at a fixed price has limited legal options if circumstances change drastically: the statutory doctrine of article 6:258 BW is available only in exceptional cases and its outcome is uncertain. Conversely, a poorly drafted hardship clause can be exploited by a party that simply wants a better deal, turning a commercially reasonable agreement into a source of persistent renegotiation pressure. The risk of not having one and the risk of having one that is too broad are both real.

Comment le gérer

• Define the trigger precisely: specify the threshold for "excessive onerousness" (for example a percentage cost increase) rather than leaving it to open-ended judgment.
• Set a clear procedure for invoking the clause: notice period, documentation required, and a fixed negotiation window before either party may escalate.
• Include a fallback: if renegotiation fails within the agreed period, specify whether the contract continues unchanged, terminates, or goes to a third-party adjudicator.
• Align the hardship clause with any force majeure and price-revision provisions to avoid overlap or contradictions.

Références juridiques

• BW 6:258 Dutch Civil Code: unforeseen circumstances Droit néerlandais

Sauf mention contraire, les références renvoient au droit néerlandais (Burgerlijk Wetboek, le Code civil néerlandais) ; les instruments de l'UE tels que le RGPD s'appliquent dans toute l'UE. Il s'agit d'informations générales, pas de conseils juridiques. D'autres juridictions traitent ces concepts différemment. Vérifiez le texte en vigueur et votre situation avec un avocat qualifié.