Position of the Lessee of Business Premises During the COVID-19 Epidemic Virus
Summary: The author explores the complex issue of whether the epidemic virus Covide-19 has the character of force majeure (vis maior) in terms of fulfi lling contractual obligations in general, and in particular the obligations of the Lease of Business Premises. Force majeure means a circumstances arising after the conclusion of the contract that the debtor could not prevent, eliminate or avoid, while in the case of the ruling coronavirus epidemic it is a contagious disease of global proportions with consequences for the global economy, for which offi cial medicine is still did not fi nd a cure. In a situation when the lessee of business premises is aff ected by these circumstances which, undoubtedly, cannot be attributed to him, and which he could not prevent, eliminate or avoid, it is important to explore and analyze legal solutions that, in the absence of contractual provisions, protect the endangered position the lessee and relax his disrupted contractual relationship with the lessor.
Key words: virus epidemic COVID-19, lease, business premises, exculpatory circumstances, force majeure,repudiation or alteration of contract due to changed circumstances, extrajudicial termination.
Rezime: Autor istražuje kompleksno pitanje o tome da li epidemija virusa COVID-19 ima obeležje više sile (vis maior) u pogledu izvršavanja ugovornih obaveza uopšte, a naročito obaveza zakupca poslovnog prostora. Pod višom silom podrazumeva se okolnost koja je nastala posle zaključenja ugovora, a koju dužnik nije mogao sprečiti , otkloniti ili izbeći, dok se u slučaju vladajuće epidemije korona virusa radi o zaraznoj bolesti svetskih razmera sa posledicama po globalnu ekonomiju, za koju zvanična medicina još uvek nije pronašla lek. U situaciji kada je zakupac poslovnog prostora pogođen ovim okolnosti ma koje mu se, nesumnjivo, ne mogu pripisati u krivicu, a koje nije mogao ni da spreči, otkloni ili izbegne, važno je ispitati i analizirati zakonska rešenja koja, u odsustvu ugovorenih, šti te ugroženu poziciju zakupca i relaksiraju njegov narušeni govorni odnos sa zakupodavcem.
Ključne riječi: epidemija virusa COVID-19, zakup, poslovni prostor, oslobađajuće okolnosti , viša sila, raskid ugovora zbog promenjenih okolnosti , vansudski raskid.