Article 7. Temporal application of civil law

(1) Civil law has no retrospective effect. It does not amend nor exclude the requirements for constitution of a legal situation constituted in the past, nor the requirements for the ending of a legal situation ended in the past. Further, a new law does not amend nor unwind the effects already produced of a ended or pending legal situation.
(2) The new law applies to legal situations pending upon its entry into force.
(3) On the date when the new law enters into force, the effects of the old law end unless the new law provides otherwise.
(4) In case of pending contractual legal situations on the date of entry into force of the new law, the old law continues to govern the nature and scope of rights and obligations of the parties, as well as any other contractual effects unless the new law provides otherwise.
(5) In the cases laid down in paragraph (4), the provisions of the new law applies to the modalities of exercise of rights or performance of obligations, as well as their transfer, assumption, transformation or extinguishment. Further, unless the new law provides otherwise, the terms of a juridical act concluded before the date of entry into force of the new law which are contrary to its mandatory provisions are, from that date, deprived of any effect.
(6) The provisions of the new law regarding periods, either of limitation or of acquisitive nature (i.e. for purposes of acquisition by continuing possession), apply to the period which had started to run before its entry into force and has not expired before that date. In such case, the period accrued previously is to be taken into account.  The beginning, suspension and interruption of the period is governed, for the duration prior to the entry into force of the new law, by the old law.
(7) If a period provided by a new law is shorter than that provided by an old law, then, beginning with the date of entry into force of the new law, a new period starts running under the terms of the new law. In such case, the period accrued previously is not to be taken into account. The provisions of this paragraph also apply where the new law declares that a right of action, which under the old law was not subject to a limitation period, is henceforth subject to a limitation period.
(8) In the case falling within paragraph (7), where the period provided by the old law expires before the period provided by the new law, the period lapses upon expiration of the period provided by the old law.