Front cover image for The making of European Private Law : towards a Ius Commune Europaeum as a mixed legal system

The making of European Private Law : towards a Ius Commune Europaeum as a mixed legal system

Jan Smits, Nicole Kornet
Print Book, English, cop. 2002
View all formats and editions
Intersentia, Antwerp[etc.], cop. 2002
XV, 306 p. ; 24 cm
9789050951913, 9050951910
638913588
Derecho civil Derecho comunitario
Derecho civil Países de la Unión Europea
Derecho comunitario
Países de la Unión Europea
PREFACEv
TABLE OF CONTENTSvii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSxiii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION1
�� 1. Introduction
1
�� 2. Why Develop a European Private Law?
2
�� 3. The Roads Toward a European Private Law: Centralist Methods
6
A. Introduction
6
B. Intervention by the European Union and Issues of Competence
7
1. Primary Community Law
9
2. Secondary Community Law
10
C. Unification through International Treaties
15
D. A European Private Law through the Judgments of the European Court of Justice
19
E. The Contribution of the European Court of Human Rights
22
1. Family Law
22
2. Procedural law
23
3. Property Law
24
4. Law of Contract
26
F. Centralist Methods: An Evaluation
28
�� 4. Objections to Centralist Methods; a European Civil Code?
28
A. Introduction
28
B. The Idea of a Binding Codification seems to be Contrary to the Spirit of the Times
29
C. An Imposed Codification of Rules Does Not Create Uniform Law
30
D. An Imposed Civil Code Neglects the Cultural Differences Between Countries
31
E. Anticipating Specific National Problems will Become More Difficult
32
F. The Making of a European Civil Code Creates More than is Necessary considering the Objectives of the European Union
32
�� 5. Assessment of the Objections
33
CHAPTER 2 NON-CENTRALIST METHODS TOWARDS A IUS COMMUNE35
�� 1. Introduction
35
�� 2. Principles as the Precursors to a European Civil Code: Soft Law as a Model
35
A. Introduction
35
B. The Principles of European Contract Law
37
C. The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts
39
�� 3. Legal Science and Legal Education
42
A. Introduction
42
B. Drawing Inspiration from a Former Ius Commune? A Discussion
43
C. A European Legal Science?
45
D. European Legal Education?
54
�� 4. The Lex Mercatoria
57
�� 5. Reception of Law: an Economic Analysis
59
A. General
59
B. Law and Economics
61
C. Eight Possible Objections to the Free Movement of Legal Rules
66
D. Evaluation
70
CHAPTER 3 CIVIL LAW AND COMMON LAW: THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES73
�� 1. Introduction
73
�� 2. Civil Law and Common Law: the Distinguishing Features
74
A. Distinguishing Features of the Civil Law Tradition
75
1. A Basis in Roman law
75
2. Codification
77
3. Systematisation and the Programmatic Desire Thereof
79
4. Legal Reasoning based on Syllogism
82
5. No Binding Precedent
82
6. The Prevailing Mentality, including Judicial Style
83
7. Institutions
84
B. Distinguishing Features of the Common Law Tradition
84
1. No Basis in Roman Law, Instead English Customary Law
84
2. No Codification, but Case Law
86
3. The Absence of Systematisation, or a Desire Thereof
88
4. Reasoning from Case to Case
90
5. Binding Precedent
91
6. The Prevailing Mentality, Including Judicial Style
92
7. Institutions
94
�� 3. Assessment of the Comparison
94
�� 4. Is There Still a Difference Between the Civil Law and the Common Law?
103
CHAPTER 4 MIXED LEGAL SYSTEMS: THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK107
�� 1. Introduction
107
�� 2. Mixed Legal Systems from a Theoretical Perspective
108
�� 3. Manifestations: Mixed Legal Systems of the World
110
A. Group A: The Civil Law Component does not comprise Roman-Dutch Law
111
1. Scotland
111
2. The Canadian Province of Quebec
114
3. The American State of Louisiana
119
4. The Republic of Israel
121
B. Group B: The Civil Law Component comprises (further developed) Roman-Dutch Law
125
C. Group B1: The mix still exists
125
1. The Republic of South Africa
125
2. The Republic of Zimbabwe
114
3. The Republic of Botswana
135
4. The Kingdom of Lesotho
135
5. The Kingdom of Swaziland
136
6. The Republic of Namibia
136
7. The Republic of Sri Lanka
137
8. The Republic of Guyana
139
D. Group B2: The mix no longer exists
139
1. Indonesia
140
2. North America: New Holland
142
3. Suriname (Dutch Guyana) and the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius)
142
�� 4. Some Conclusions
144
A. General
144
B. Insights for the Development of European Private Law
148
CHAPTER 5 ANGLICISED ROMAN-DUTCH LAW IN SOUTH AFRICA: CONTENT AND METHOD151
�� 1. Introduction
151
�� 2. The Roman-Dutch Law of the Dutch Republic
151
A. Introduction
151
B. The content of Roman-Dutch Law
153
1. Customary Law
153
2. Local Laws
154
3. Legislation
154
4. Collections of Case Law
154
5. Opinions of Legal Scholars
155
6. Monographs
155
7. Roman Law
157
C. The Method of Roman-Dutch Law
158
�� 3. The Anglicisation of Roman-Dutch Law in South Africa
161
A. Introduction
161
B. Anglicisation: 1820-1910
162
C. A return to Roman-Dutch Law
165
�� 4. Anglicised Roman-Dutch Law Today
174
�� 5. Content and Method for a European Private Law
184
CHAPTER 6 THE LAW OF CONTRACT187
�� 1. Introduction
187
�� 2. Good Faith
189
A. General
189
B. Good Faith and the Civil Law
190
C. Good Faith and the Common Law
193
D. Good Faith in South African Private Law
195
E. A European Contract Law?
198
�� 3. Formation of Contract: Causa or Consideration
201
A. Introduction
201
B. Civil Law: Causa
202
C. Common Law: Consideration
203
D. Formation in South Africa: No Consideration
205
E. European Contract Law?
207
�� 4. Formation of Contract: the Despatch and Arrival Theories
208
A. Introduction
208
B. Civil Law: Dutch, French and German Law
209
C. Common Law: English Law
210
D. South African Law
211
E. European Contract Law?
212
�� 5. Remedies for Breach of Contract
213
A. Introduction
213
B. Civil Law
214
1. Termination
214
2. Damages
215
3. Performance
217
C. Common Law
218
1. Termination
218
2. Damages
219
3. Performance
219
D. Remedies in South Africa
221
1. Termination
221
2. Damages
222
3. Performance
222
E. A European Private Law of Remedies?
223
1. Termination
224
2. Damages
225
3. Performance
226
�� 6. Towards a Mixed Law of Contract
227
CHAPTER 7 TORT LAW229
�� 1. Introduction
229
�� 2. The Approach of French and Dutch Law
230
�� 3. The Approach of German Law
232
�� 4. The Approach of English Law
234
�� 5. South African Tort Law
238
�� 6. A European Law of Tort?
242
CHAPTER 8 THE LAW OF PROPERTY245
�� 1. Introduction
245
A. A Minimal Level of Unilormity
245
B. European and Private Initiatives
246
�� 2. Prolegomena for a European Property Law: the Distinction Between Property Law and the Law of Obligations
249
A. Introduction
249
B. The Numerus Clausus of Property Rights in the Civil Law
249
C. The Defects of the Prevailing Civil Law Theory and the Alternative Common Law Approach
252
�� 3. When is there a Property Right and when is there a Personal Right?
254
A. Introduction
254
B. Looking for Criteria in the Civil Law and in the Common Law
254
C. South African Law
257
D. European Criteria?
260
�� 4. The Trust in the Civil Law?
262
A. Introduction
262
B. The Trust Relationship
263
C. The Trust in South Africa
266
D. A European Trust?
268
�� 5. Towards a Mixed Law of Property
269
EPILOGUE TOWARDS A EUROPEAN LEGAL MENTALITY?271
A. An Eclectic View of the Law
271
B. A Search for the Optimal Mix of Uniformity and Legal Culture
272
BIBLIOGRAPHY275
TABLE OF CASES295
INDEX299