Against the background of the creation of an EU-wide frame of reference for private law relevant to the Common Market, this study, which was requested by the EU Commission, analyses the dovetailing between contract and tort law on the one hand, and between contract and property law on the other. The study examines the legal orders of almost all the Member States of the EU, illustrates the differences between contractual and non-contractual liability and evaluates the different systems of the transfer of property, of movable and immovable securities as well as trust law. The study comes to the conclusion that the intensive considerations on the creation of a model-law in the area of European private law do not allow these thoughts to be limited to contract law. Such a limitation to the scope of the regarding of this area would probably cause more problems than it would solve, or at any rate not do justice to the needs of the Common Market.

This work is inspired by the comparative study published in The Interaction of Contract Law and Tort and Property Law in Europe (ISBN 3 935808 20 8-Cloth-$79.00-2004). Out of a transnational (comparative and EU-oriented) perspective, the essays included discuss whether divergences of property law on contractual security rights in movables constitute an obstacle to the internal market and, if so, what solutions could be offered. Unification or harmonization of private international law cannot offer an adequate solution, while unification of domestic security laws could. However, the latter will take a very long time, partly due to the specific nature of property law. The contributing authors advocate the development of a European Security Right in Movables (ESRM) in addition to the respective contemporary national security rights. A real ESRM would clearly support free competition within the European Union. However, the development of an ESRM will take much time, in particular when dealing with the relation between that ESRM and domestic security rights in the member states. The reader will also find considerations on the contents of an ESRM and on the outlines of the required additional provisions.

The Research Handbook on EU Tort Law focuses on the study of the law of tort/delict/non-contractual liability of the European Union and examines the institutional liability of the EU, Francovich liability, and liability arising from a variety of EU secondary legislation (directives/regulations). The impact of EU tort law on national legal systems is wide-ranging, covering areas such as consumer law, competition law, data protection law, employment law, insurance law and financial services law. It also discusses the potential development of a European culture of tort law and harmonisation. This comprehensive Research Handbook contains contributions from leading authors in their field, representing a cross-section of European jurisdictions. It offers an authoritative reference point for academics, students and practitioners studying or working in this field, but one which is also accessible for those approaching the subject for the first time.

This book revolves around major legal developments in the fields of European contract law and tort law from 1981 to today. It examines whether similarities or divergences can be observed, and how opposing concepts such as weaker party protection (consumers as well as SME) and freedom of contract and fault principle are balanced. It also focuses on Europeanisation and constitutionalisation of both contract and tort law, and the need to adjust the law in response to digitalisation and new technological, environmental, or financial risks. Furthermore, the law of obligations nowadays emerges from very different sources and directions (top-down, bottom-up, but also crossing-over and diagonal). Norms of the law of obligations are not only being made by national legislators and courts, but also by European institutionalised lawmakers and (increasingly important) by private actors, organisations, and networks. This book illustrates that the law of obligations evolves in a continuing process of waves. Contradictory tendencies in contract law alternate in focuses on the demands of the free market and the core value of party autonomy on the one hand, and on the concept of fairness and weaker-party protection on the other hand. (Series: Ius Commune Europaeum, Vol. 158) Subject: Contract Law, European Law, Tort Law]

European integration has a growing impact on the property law systems of the EU Member States. The tensions which can be seen are considerably greater than in other areas of private law, given the technically complex and mandatory nature of property law. In this book current developments in European property law (particularly the Draft Common Frame of Reference) are analysed and evaluated, focussing on secured transactions and mortgage law. With contributions by academic and practicing lawyers, containing: Transfer of ownership and good faith acquisition: the rules in the Member States and in Book VIII of the DCFR Secured transactions and the DCFR Registration of intellectual property rights Trusts - from a Common and a Civil lawyer’s perspective The border area between property law and contract law: securities

This book is the first major study to examine the following essential questions with detailed reference to actual judicial developments: To what extent do fundamental rights affect contract law? In which types of cases can fundamental rights be applied? What does the explicit consideration of fundamental rights add to contract law adjudication? The author approaches the analysis along two different avenues: first, a comparative overview of developments in case law, and second, a more general theoretical view on the interaction between fundamental rights and rules of contract law which is tested against examples from various legal systems. The focus throughout is on developments in case law, because the impact of fundamental rights in contract law has been felt on the level of dispute resolution rather than on the level of legislation. Germany and the Netherlands are chosen because their judiciaries have been notable for their early and continuing attention to the theme, and England and Italy for perspectives on developments under common law and civil law systems respectively. For its reframing of old questions and its insightful delimitations of new ones, this book offers a fresh and deeply informed new perspective on this important area of developing law. The discussion, moreover, has received an additional impulse from the debate leading up to the recent agreement on a Reform Treaty regarding the institutional settlement of the Union, which will give a legally binding status to the Nice Charter of Fundamental Rights. For these reasons and others, the book will be of great value to all interested parties in government, business, and legal practice.