Abstract
This introductive chapter describes the background, objectives and possible future impact of the research project from which the present book has arisen. The first part of this chapter provides a brief history of the proposition and subsequent withdrawal of the draft Regulation on a Common European Sales Law (CESL). This brief history embeds the CESL in the discourse on the legislative creation of common European rules of private law from 1989 until today. The second part of this chapter describes the Groningen project “Content and effects of contracts: The CESL in the European multi-level system of governance” and its relation with the academic spirit of the Hanse Law School. The third and last part of this chapter addresses the lessons to learn from the withdrawn CESL and the usefulness of this book with regard to possible future national and supranational instruments in the field of European sales law.
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Notes
- 1.
With “common rules of private law”, this chapter intends private law rules which are of a general, i.e. non sector-specific nature.
- 2.
The word “star” in this metaphor refers to the showbusiness and not to the astronomic context. In fact, astronomically speaking, stars do not fall: they collapse, explode, become black dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. See http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/lifecycle/stardeath.shtml
- 3.
OJ 1989 C 158, 26.6.1989, 400.
- 4.
In 1974, a conference on the proposed European convention on the law applicable to contractual and non-contractual obligations was held in Copenhagen. During a dinner after the conference, Professor Ole Lando sat next to the European Commission official Dr. Winfried Hauschild. Both agreed that uniform rules of private international law would not suffice, since a common European market would require a uniform substantive law. Dr. Hauschild said: ‘We need a European Code of Obligations’. Cf. the Preface and Introduction to Parts I and II of the PECL: O Lando and H Beale (eds), Principles of European Contract Law, Parts I and II (The Hague, Kluwer, 2000), xi. On the origins of the discourse on the European Civil Code see also A Colombi Ciacchi, ‘An Optional Instrument for Consumer Contracts in the EU: Conflict of Laws and Conflict of Policies’, in A Somma (ed), The Politics of the Common Frame of Reference (Alphen aan den Rijn, Kluwer Law International, 2009), 3–18 at 3 et seq.
- 5.
After the above-mentioned Resolution of 26 May 1989, in 1994 the European Parliament issued a second Resolution advocating the creation of a European Civil Code: the Resolution of 6 May 1994 concerning the codification of private law and the Commission on european contract law, OJ 1994 C 205, 25.7.1994, 518.
- 6.
Among which the members of the Study Group on a European Civil Code (SGECC), chaired by Christian von Bar. For a description of this group and its work see C von Bar, ‘Die Study Group on a European Civil Code’ in P Gottwald, E Jayme, D Schwab (eds) Festschrift für Dieter Henrich zum 70. Geburtstag am 1. Dezember 2000 (Bielefeld, Gieseking, 2000) 1–11; K Gutman, The Constitutional Foundations of European Contract Law: A Comparative Analysis (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2014) 152 et seq. The SGECC coordinated the monumental collection of volumes “Principles of European Law”: http://www.sellier.de/pages/en/buecher_s_elp/europarecht/454.principles_of_european_law.htm?reihe=16. On the SGECC and its publications see also http://www.sgecc.net. Further key publications inspired by the idea of the European Civil Code include the volumes Towards a European Civil Code edited by Arthur Hartkamp, Martijn Hesselink and (since the fourth edition) Ewoud Hondius, Chantal Mak and Edgar du Perron: AS Hartkamp, MW Hesselink, E Hondius, C Mak and E du Perron (eds) Towards a European Civil Code (4th edn, Alphen aan den Rijn, Kluwer-Ars Aequi Libri, 2011). In favour of a fully-fledged and binding European Civil Code, see U. Mattei, ‘Hard Code Now!’ (2002) Global Jurist Frontiers 2, no. 1 Article 1; id., ‘Hard Minimal Code Now – A Critique of “Softness”’ in S Grundmann and J Stuyck (eds) An Academic Green Paper on European Contract Law (The Hague et al.,: Kluwer Law International, 2002) 228. For a comprehensive study defending a ‘hard’ European Civil Code, see K-H Lehne and S Scholemann-Lehne, Auf dem Weg zum Europäischen Zivilgesetzbuch (Baden Baden, Nomos, 2006). For a more cautious approach see C. Schmid, ‘On the Legitimacy of a European Civil Code’ (2001) 8 Maastricht Journal of Comparative Law 277 et seq.
- 7.
See O Lando, ‘My life as a lawyer’ (2002) Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht 520; H Beale, ‘The Future of the Common Frame of Reference’ (2007) 3 European Review of Contract Law 259 et seq.
- 8.
The group founded by Lando was the famous “Commission on European Contract Law”. For a recent description of this group and its work see K Gutman (n 6) 149 et seq.
- 9.
O Lando and H Beale (eds) Principles of European Contract Law, Parts I and II (The Hague, Kluwer, 2000); O Lando, E Clive, A Prüm and R Zimmermann (eds) Principles of European Contract Law, Part III (The Hague, Kluwer, 2003). In Lando’s view, ‘the main purpose of the PECL is to serve as a first draft of a part of a European Civil Code’: O Lando (n 7) 521.
- 10.
COM (2001) 398 final, COM (2003) 68 final, COM (2004) 651 final. For a recent and comprehensive discussion of these Communications see K Gutman (n 6) 180 et seq.
- 11.
See n 6. The SGECC was the successor or ‘heir apparent’ of the Lando Commission: see E Hondius, ‘Towards a European Civil Code’ in AS Hartkamp, MW Hesselink, E Hondius, C Mak and E du Perron (eds) Towards a European Civil Code (n 6) 3, 13; K Gutman (n 6) 152.
- 12.
On this network (“Network of Excellence”) see recently K Gutman (n 6) 153 et seq.
- 13.
Study Group on a European Civil Code, Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (Acquis Group) (eds) Principles, Definition and Model Rules of European Private Law: Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR), Outline Edition (München, Sellier European Law Publishers, 2009); Study Group on a European Civil Code, Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (Acquis Group) (eds) Principles, Definition and Model Rules of European Private Law: Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR), Full Edition (München, Sellier European Law Publishers, 2009).
- 14.
On the envisaged role of the DCFR with regard to the preparation of EU legislation on European contract law see among others H. Beale, ‘The Future of the Draft Common Frame of Reference’ (2007) 3 ERCL 257; K Gutman (n 6) 229 et seq. with further references.
- 15.
On the envisaged Optional Instrument see, among others, MW Hesselink, JW Rutgers and TQ de Booys, The legal basis for an optional instrument on European contract law, Study for the European Parliament, Final Report, 8 February 2008; A Colombi Ciacchi (n 4); J Rutgers, ‘European Competence and a European Civil Code, a Common Frame of Reference or an Optional Instrument’ in AS Hartkamp, MW Hesselink, E Hondius, C Mak and E du Perron (eds) Towards a European Civil Code (n 6) 311 et seq.
- 16.
COM (2004) 651 final.
- 17.
For a recent overview of the developments from the publication of the DCFR until the publication of the draft CESL see K Gutman (n 6) 252 et seq.
- 18.
COM (2011) 635 final.
- 19.
For an overview see E Hondius, ‘The Many Advantages of a Common European Sales Law’ (in this volume). Among the most recent works see MBM Loos, ‘Transparency of Standard Terms under the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Proposal for a Common European Sales Law’ (2015) 23 ERPL 179; M Storme, ‘The Young and the Restless: CESL and the Rest of Member State Law’ (2015) 23 ERPL 217; C Twigg-Flesner, ‘CESL, Cross-Border Transactions and Domestic Law: Why a Dual Approach Could Work (Although CESL Might Not)’ (2015) 23 ERPL 231; H Beale, ‘Hopes for the CESL: A Brief Response to DiMatteo, Loos, Schulte-Nölke, Storme, and Twigg-Flesner’ (2015) 23 ERPL 251; A-G Castermans, R de Graaf and M Haentjens, ‘The Digital Single Market and Legal Certainty: A Critical Analysis of the Common European Sales Law’ (2015) Leiden Law School Research Paper No 6, March 12, 2015, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2577321; JM Smits, ‘The Future of Contract Law in Europe’ (2015) Maastricht European Private Law Institute Working Paper No 2015/2, 17 Feb 2015, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2566149; M Lehmann (ed) Common European Sales Law Meets Reality (Munich, Sellier, 2015); J. Plaza Penades, LM Martines Velencoso (eds) European Perspectives on the Common European Sales Law (Berlin, New York, Springer, 2015).
- 20.
R Schulze (ed) Common European Sales Law (CESL). A Commentary (München, Beck; Oxford, Hart Publishing; Baden Baden, Nomos, 2012); G Dannemann and S Vogenauer (eds), The Common European Sales Law in Context. Interactions with English and German Law (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2013).
- 21.
See Issalys’ definition of governance as “mechanisms by which social actors seeking to achieve coordinate action can work together to accommodate their own legitimacy, diversity of objectives, values and interests”: P Issalys, ‘Choosing Among Forms of Public Action’ in P Eliadis, M Hill and M Howlett (eds), Designing Government: From Instruments to Governance (Montreal, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005) 154, 180.
- 22.
On governance in the European private law context see, generally, F Cafaggi and H Muir-Watt (eds) Making European Private Law. Governance Design (Cheltenham, Elgar, 2008). On contract governance from the perspective of European contract lawyers, see F Möslein and K Riesenhuber, ‘Contract Governance: A Draft Research Agenda’ (2009) 5 European Review of Contract Law 248 et seq.
- 23.
On governance as “policy-making with or without politics”, see A Kazancigil, ‘Governance and science: market-like modes of managing society and producing knowledge’ (1998) 50 International Social Science Journal 69 et seq.
- 24.
See n 20 above.
- 25.
On the Hanse Law School and its teaching and research methodology, see C Godt (ed) Cross Border Research and Transnational Teaching under the Treaty of Lisbon: Hanse Law School in Perspective (Nijmegen, Wolf Legal Publishers, 2013), with further references.
- 26.
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law (COM(2011)0635 – C7- 0329/2011 – 2011/0284(COD)). On the amendments suggested by the European Parliament see MW Hesselink, ‘Unfair Prices in the Common European Sales Law’ in L Gullifer and S Vogenauer (eds) English and European Perspectives on Contract and Commercial Law. Essays in Honour of Hugh Beale (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2014) 225 et seq.; T Pinkel, ‘Der Anwendungsbereich und zentrale Vorschriften des Kommissionsentwurfs für ein Gemeinsames Europäisches Kaufrecht sowie die Änderungsvorschläge des ELI und Änderungsanträge des Parlaments im Vergleich’ (2014) Hanse Law Review 45.
- 27.
Cf. Commissioner Jourová’s remarks before the European Parliament‘s Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee on 19 January 2015: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014–2019/jourova/announcements/commissioner-vera-jourovas-remarks-european-parliaments-legal-affairs-juri-committee-19-january-2015_en: “You had suggested focusing the Common European Sales Law on online sales. However, as the proposal for the Common European Sales Law has not found sufficient support in Council we want to withdraw it and put forward a modified proposal this year. This will be one of the new initiatives to be announced in the Digital Single Market package.”
- 28.
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 16 December 2014, Commission Work Programme 2015: A New Start, COM(2014) 910 final.
- 29.
See COM(2014) 910 final, Annex II, no. 60.
- 30.
According to Eric Clive, “(t)his new emphasis was stressed in the speech by the First Vice-President Frans Timmermans who said that one of the Commission’s priorities for 2015 would be an ambitious digital single market package which would, among other things, modernise copyright laws and simplify rules for consumers making online digital purchases.” E Clive, ‘Proposal for a Common European Sales Law withdrawn’, posted on 7 January 2015 in “European Private Law News”, http://www.epln.law.ed.ac.uk.
- 31.
See H. Beale’s contribution in this volume.
- 32.
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 6 May 2015, A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe, COM(2015) 192 final.
- 33.
Emphasis added.
- 34.
COM(2015) 192 final, 5.
- 35.
- 36.
- 37.
Cf. the Introduction to H. Beale’s chapter in this volume.
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Colombi Ciacchi, A. (2016). Contents and Effects of Contracts: Lessons to Learn from the CESL. In: Colombi Ciacchi, A. (eds) Contents and Effects of Contracts-Lessons to Learn From The Common European Sales Law. Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28074-5_1
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