The book is a must read for anybody interested in the future development of European private law. European Private Law News This volume contains a valuable collection of essays by a group of reputable academics, each dealing with a particular aspect of the development of a substantive law of contract at European level. The contributors have a variety of interests and perspectives. The topic is clearly of great current interest throughout the European Union and beyond. Peter Stone, University of Essex, UK European Private Law after the Common Frame of Reference brings together several interesting contributions from a distinguished group of scholars, and sheds light on the important issue of legal harmonization from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective. Francesco Parisi, University of Minnesota, US and University of Bologna, Italy The Common Frame of Reference has several potential functions, some reconcilable, others mutually exclusive. Its size, its shape, its true legal nature and its content all remain contested. Modest or ambitious, toolbox or code-in-waiting? Its chameleon character is its strength and simultaneously its weakness, and equally the reason why it has attracted such attention. In this book the editors have assembled a veritable who s who in the field and it is a terrific read. Stephen Weatherill, University of Oxford, UK This book paves the way for, and initiates, the second-generation of research in European private law subsequent to the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) needed for the 21st century. The book gives a voice to the growing dissatisfaction in academic discourse that the DCFR, as it stands in 2009, does not actually represent the condensed available knowledge on the possible future of European private law. The contributions in this book focus on the legitimacy of law making through academics both now and in the future, and on the possible conceptual choices which will affect the future of European private law. Drawing on experience gained from the DCFR the authors advocate the competition of ideas and concepts. This fascinating book will be a must-read for European lawyers, private lawyers in the Member States and academics dealing with conceptual issues of the future of the national and the European private law. Advanced students in both law and international business will also find this book invaluable, as will US scholars interested in the US EU comparison of different legal orders.

In this volume, the Study Group and the Acquis Group present the first academic Draft of a Common Frame of Reference (DCFR). The Draft is based in part on a revised version of the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL) and contains Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law in an interim outline edition. It covers the books on contracts and other juridical acts, obligations and corresponding rights, certain specific contracts, and non-contractual obligations. One purpose of the text is to provide material for a possible "political" Common Frame of Reference (CFR) which was called for by the European Commission's Action Plan on a More Coherent European Contract Law of January 2003.

This landmark reference work marks the culmination of over 20 years' research into the history and potential future of European private law. An international team of researchers have analyzed the diverse national traditions of private law to compile a codified set of principles of European law for the law of obligations and core aspects of the law of property - known as the Draft Common Frame of Reference. This full edition of the reference work comes complete with all the scholarly apparatus needed to interpret the principles. Full commentary is provided on the text of the 'draft common frame of reference', together with references to and comparative analysis of all the national legal materials used as a basis of the text. The complete work will form a central reference point for all future discussion of the harmonization of European private law, and the interpretation of EU measures in the field. It also represents a major reference work in its own right, offering the fullest resource available on European private law, invaluable for researchers in comparative law and European legal history.

This landmark reference work marks the culmination of over 20 years' research into the history and potential future of European private law. An international team of researchers have analyzed the diverse national traditions of private law to compile a codified set of principles of European law for the law of obligations and core aspects of the law of property - known as the Draft Common Frame of Reference. This full edition of the reference work comes complete with all the scholarly apparatus needed to interpret the principles. Full commentary is provided on the text of the 'draft common frame of reference', together with references to and comparative analysis of all the national legal materials used as a basis of the text. The complete work will form a central reference point for all future discussion of the harmonization of European private law, and the interpretation of EU measures in the field. It also represents a major reference work in its own right, offering the fullest resource available on European private law, invaluable for researchers in comparative law and European legal history.

There remains an urgent need for a deeper discussion of the theoretical, political and federal dimensions of the European codification project. While much valuable work has already been undertaken, the chapters in this volume take as their starting point the proposition that further reflection and critical thought will enhance the quality and efficacy of the on-going work of the various codification bodies. The volume contains chapters by representatives of the Common Frame of Reference, the Study Group and the Acquis Group as well as by those who have not been involved in particular projects but who have previously commented more distantly on their work - for instance those belonging to the Trento Group, and the Social Justice Group. The chapters between them represent the most comprehensive attempt so far to survey the state of the codification project, its theoretical, political and federal foundations and the future prospects for enforcement and compliance.

A year ago, the "Draft Common Frame of Reference" was published for the first time in an interim outline edition. Now we proudly present the final outline edition of the DCFR. - revision of the already published text to take account of the public discussion - major new topics covered - an additional section on the principles underlying the model rules - revised and expanded list of definitions The six-volume full edition of the DCFR including all comments and notes will be published in October 2009.