EULEGISLATIONAFRAGMENTEDAPPROACHAFTERALONGPERIODOFSPECIFICCONSUMERDIRECTIVES(1984-2001),ANEWPHASEWASINAUGURATEDIN2001.WHICHHASBEENDEFINEDBYTHEREDRAFTINGANDSYSTEMATIZATIONOFCONSUMERREGULATIONSINTHEQUESTFORANINTERNALMARKETWMTHAMOREORGANICANDCOHERENTCOMMONLAW.THISPHASEISCHARACTERISEDBYINTERACTIONBETWEENCONSUMERREGULATIONSANDTHECREATIONOFANEWEUROPEANCONTRACTLAWRRYNANDDROSHOUTCONSUMERLAWMKZ
EU LEGISLATION A FRAGMENTED APPROACH “AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF SPECIFIC CONSUMER DIRECTIVES (1984-2001), A NEW PHASE WAS INAUGURATED IN 2001, WHICH HAS BEEN DEFINED BY THE REDRAFTING AND SYSTEMATIZATION OF CONSUMER REGULATIONS IN THE QUEST FOR AN INTERNAL MARKET WITH A MORE ORGANIC AND COHERENT COMMON LAW. THIS PHASE IS CHARACTERISED BY INTERACTION BETWEEN CONSUMER REGULATIONS AND THE CREATION OF A NEW EUROPEAN CONTRACT LAW .” MICKLITZ, STUYCK, TERRYN AND DROSHOUT, CONSUMER LAW (HART, 2010, AT 165
UNDERTHEAUSPICESOFTHEROMETREATYOTHERCONSUMERPROTECTIONPrimarilyof administrativenature·Doorstepsales(85/577)restrictingfreedom of contract:·ConsumerCreditDirectiveDirective86/653onthecoordinationof(85/102)thelawoftheMemberStatesrelatingtoDirectiveonunfairtermsintheself-employedagentconsumercontracts (93/13)ConflictsoflawTimeshareDirective(94/47)-Regulation44/2001onJurisdiction·DistanceSellingDirectiveandtheRecognitionofJudgmentsinCivilandCommercialMatters(97/7)(Brussels)·PriceIndicationDirective(98/6)(etc.)
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE ROME TREATY CONSUMER PROTECTION • Doorstep sales (85/577) • Consumer Credit Directive (85/102) • Directive on unfair terms in consumer contracts (93/13) • Timeshare Directive (94/47) • Distance Selling Directive (97/7) • Price Indication Directive (98/6) (etc.) OTHER • Primarily of administrative nature restricting freedom of contract: - Directive 86/653 on the coordination of the law of the Member States relating to the self-employed agent • Conflicts of law - Regulation 44/2001 on Jurisdiction and the Recognition of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (Brussels I)
ISTHEREAFUTUREFORTHEEUROPEANCIVILCODE?MAUROBUSSANI::“THEDEFENSEOFTHESTATUSQUOTHATTHETIME...ISNOTRIPETOENACTWHATEVERRESTATEMENTORCIVILCODEI...FITSPERFECTLYWNITHTHENEEDOETHEPROFESSIONALELITETOKEEPTHELEADERSHIPOVERNATIONALANDTRANSNATIONALLEGALAFFAIRS.MAUROBUSSANI,THEDRVINGFORCESBEHINDAEUROPEANCVILCODEZBORNIKPRAV.FAK.SVEUC.RIJ.SUPPL.BR.3,XX-XX,AT11
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE EUROPEAN CIVIL CODE? MAURO BUSSANI: “THE DEFENSE OF THE STATUS QUO [THAT THE TIME . IS NOT RIPE TO ENACT WHATEVER RESTATEMENT OR CIVIL CODE] . FITS PERFECTLY WITH THE NEED OF THE PROFESSIONAL ELITE TO KEEP THE LEADERSHIP OVER NATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL LEGAL AFFAIRS . ” MAURO BUSSANI, THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND A EUROPEAN CIVIL CODE, ZBORNIK PRAV. FAK. SVEUČ. RIJ. SUPPL. BR. 3, XX-XX, AT 11
Reality v.WishesWHATWOULDBEREALITYNEEDED“whilstit seems that theTheEuropeanParliament"Europeancontractlawreiterates its conviction,initiative as described in theexpressedinitsresolutionsof26May1989,6Commissioncommunicationof11OctoberMay1994,15November2001and22004(COM(2004)0651)andreportedonintheCommission'sFirstAnnualProgressSeptember2003, that a uniformReport (COM(2005)0456) should beinternalmarketcannotbeseenprimarilyasanexerciseinbetterlaw-makingatEUfullyfunctionalwithoutlevel,itisbynomeansclearfurtherstepstowardsthewhatitwillleadtointermsofpracticaloutcomesoronwhatharmonisationofcivillawlegalbasisanybindinginstrumentor[..] ."instrumentswill be adopted [...J
Reality v. Wishes REALITY “whilst it seems that the European contract law initiative as described in the Commission communication of 11 October 2004 (COM(2004)0651) and reported on in the Commission's First Annual Progress Report (COM(2005)0456) should be seen primarily as an exercise in better law-making at EU level, it is by no means clear what it will lead to in terms of practical outcomesor on what legal basis any binding instrument or instruments will be adopted [.]” WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED The European Parliament “. reiterates its conviction, expressed in its resolutions of 26 May 1989, 6 May 1994, 15 November 2001 and 2 September 2003,that a uniform internal market cannot be fully functional without further steps towards the harmonisation of civil law [.]
WHERETOGOFROMHERE?THECOMMONFRAMEOFREFERENCETHATISATEXTSERVINGASASOURCEOFINSPIRATIONFORLAWMAKINGANDLAWTEACHINGATALLLEVELS
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE? THE COMMON FRAME OF REFERENCE “THAT IS A TEXT SERVING AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR LAW MAKING AND LAW TEACHING AT ALL LEVELS