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Post-private Law?

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Varieties of European Economic Law and Regulation

Part of the book series: Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation ((SEELR,volume 3))

Abstract

In 2012, Hans Micklitz presented a report (Gutachten) for the German lawyers’ association (Deutscher Juristentag) on the future of consumer law. The focus of the report was primarily on German law. However, as usual, Micklitz’ main argument clearly had a broader, Europe-wide vocation. Therefore, it is particularly fortunate that the report recently was published also in English, entitled ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law? A Thought Provoking Impulse’. Micklitz answers the question of whether there is a need for a new design of consumer law positively. Consequentially, he proposes to reshape consumer law into a special law. In this short contribution in his honour, I will take issue with that proposal and with the main reasons Hans Micklitz offers in its support.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    H-W Micklitz, ‘Brauchen Konsumenten und Unternehmen eine neue Architektur des Verbraucherrechts?’, Gutachten A zum 69. Juristentag (Munich, CH Beck, 2012).

  2. 2.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law? A Thought Provoking Impulse’ (2013) 32 Yearbook of European Law 266. The references will be to the English version.

  3. 3.

    Ibid, 269.

  4. 4.

    Ibid, 281.

  5. 5.

    Ibid, 269.

  6. 6.

    In the same sense, E Hondius in his contribution to this volume.

  7. 7.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law?’, 359.

  8. 8.

    The Paris Summit of 1972 or the Council’s first consumer protection programme of 1975 are usually referred to as the cradle of consumer law in Europe. If we take John F Kennedy’s, ‘Special Message to the Congress’ of 1962 as the starting point, then consumer law today is already beyond middle age.

  9. 9.

    D Caruso, ‘Qu’ils mangent des contrats: rethinking justice in EU contract law’ in G de Burca, D Kochenov and A Williams (eds), Europe’s Justice Deficit? (Oxford, Hart, 2014, forthcoming).

  10. 10.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law?’, 359.

  11. 11.

    Micklitz only discusses contract law and civil procedure. Thus, it remains unclear what should happen to the transfer of title aspects of consumer sales and, more generally, to the private property owned by consumers, to torts committed by consumers, to family quarrels among consumers, and to the application of succession law to consumers. Micklitz seems to imply that these subjects should continue to be taken care off by the BGB. That makes good sense. However, the question arises why from his point of view these subjects should not become part of consumer law as well.

  12. 12.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law?’, 351. Thus, the BGB would also become a rather empty house as well. Incidentally, it seems somewhat paradoxical that Micklitz wants to leave the BGB but then wishes to take most of its present inhabitants with him.

  13. 13.

    Ibid, 284.

  14. 14.

    D Kennedy, ‘The Political Stakes in “Merely Technical” Issues of Contract Law’ (2002) 10 European Review of Private Law 7.

  15. 15.

    With regard to European contract law, cf. S Grundmann, ‘European Contract Law(s) of What Colour?’, (2005) European Review of Contract Law 184. With regard to Dutch law, see EH Hondius, ‘De zwakke partij in het contractenrecht; over de verandering van paradigmata van het privaatrecht’ in T Hartlief and CJJM Stolker (eds), Contractsvrijheid (Deventer, Kluwer 1999) 387, who speaks of a paradigm shift. See also his contribution to the present volume.

  16. 16.

    It is true that the CESL-proposal limits the personal scope in b2b-contracts to cases where at least one of the parties is an SME (Art 7 para 1). However, the definition of SMEs is so broad (see Art 7 para 2) that apparently it covers 99 % (!) of all businesses in the EU. See Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, [2003] OJ L 124/36. Moreover, under the proposed Regulation, the Member States are allowed to extend the personal scope of application to the largest businesses as well (Art 13 para 2).

  17. 17.

    See recital 37 of the proposed regulation.

  18. 18.

    JHH Weiler, ‘To be a European Citizen: Eros and Civilization’ in JHH Weiler (ed), The Constitution of Europe; “Do the New Clothes Have an Emperor?” and Other Essays on European Integration (Cambridge, CUP 1999) 324, 334; A Supiot, Homo Juridicus; essai sur la fonction anthropologique du Droit (Paris, Seuil 2005), 165; MW Hesselink, ‘European Contract Law: A Matter of Consumer Protection, Citizenship, or Justice?’ (2007) European Review of Private Law 323, 345.

  19. 19.

    See Vice-President Reding’s ‘Justice for Growth Agenda’. Cf. ‘Speech: Justice for Growth makes headway at today’s Justice Council’ (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-29_en.htm?locale=en).

  20. 20.

    Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law, Brussels, COM(2011) 635 final, recital (16); Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A Common European Sales Law to facilitate cross-border transactions in the single market, COM(2011) 636 final, 12.

  21. 21.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law?’, 293.

  22. 22.

    Ibid, 307.

  23. 23.

    On such cases, see L Tjon Soei Len, The Effects of Contracts Beyond Frontiers. A Capabilities Perspective on Externalities and Contract law in Europe (Amsterdam, 2013).

  24. 24.

    For systems theory applied to law, see N Luhmann, Das Recht der Gesellschaft (Frankfurt, Suhrkamp, 1993); N Luhmann, ‘Law as social system’ (1988–1989) 83 Northwestern University Law Review 136.

  25. 25.

    For the critique of systems theories of law, and for the concept of lifeworld, see J Habermas, Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy (Cambridge, Polity Press, 1996).

  26. 26.

    Micklitz does propose to differentiate within consumer law, e.g. between responsible and vulnerable consumers. It is not clear why a broader spectrum of weaker party protection could not be considered.

  27. 27.

    BVerfG, 19/10/1993, 89 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts 214 ( Bürgschaft case).

  28. 28.

    Dir 2004/113/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services.

  29. 29.

    Micklitz, ‘Do Consumers and Businesses Need a New Architecture of Consumer Law?’, 363 f.

  30. 30.

    Ibid.

  31. 31.

    H-W Micklitz, ‘Social Justice and Access Justice in Private Law’ (2011) EUI Working Papers LAW No. 2011/02.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for the Study of European Contract Law, Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam, NL-1000 BA, PO Box 1030, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Martijn W. Hesselink

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Correspondence to Martijn W. Hesselink .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Law and Governance Group, Faculty of Law, Wageningen University, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Kai Purnhagen

  2. Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Peter Rott

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Hesselink, M. (2014). Post-private Law?. In: Purnhagen, K., Rott, P. (eds) Varieties of European Economic Law and Regulation. Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04903-8_2

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