The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic restrictions have placed many contractual parties under great strain to honour their agreements as contracts have become commercially impracticable and excessively onerous. This article explores the legal position in England, France and the Middle East under the doctrine of impossibility, impracticability and unforeseen circumstances. Strongly rooted in contractual autonomy and commercial certainty, this article argues that frustration in English common law is not sufficiently broad because the consequence (automatic discharge) is too rigid and does not allow a renegotiation of obligations. French civil law is more accommodating but only formally adopted imprévision in civil law in 2016, meaning it lacks traction. However, Middle Eastern civil law countries accept the doctrine as an integral part of their law and theory of justice, allowing obligations to be rebalanced in a more flexible manner. The English legal system should consider the advantages of a similar reform.

COVID-19 大流行和随后的经济限制使许多合同方在履行协议方面面临巨大压力，因为合同在商业上变得不切实际且过于繁重。本文探讨了英国、法国和中东在不可能、不切实际和不可预见情况原则下的法律地位。本文强烈植根于合同自治和商业确定性，认为英国普通法中的挫败感不够广泛，因为后果（自动解除）过于严格并且不允许重新谈判义务。法国民法更为包容，但直到2016 年才在民法中正式采用临时规定，这意味着它缺乏吸引力。然而，中东大陆法系国家接受该原则作为其法律和正义理论的组成部分，允许以更灵活的方式重新平衡义务。英国法律体系应该考虑类似改革的优势。