Principles, Defi nitions and Model Rules of European Private Law Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) Interim Outline Edition Principles, Defi nitions and Model Rules of European Private Law Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) Interim Outline Edition Prepared by the Study Group on a European Civil Code and the Research Group on EC Private Law (Acquis Group) Based in part on a revised version of the Principles of European Contract Law Edited by Christian von Bar, Eric Clive and Hans Schulte-Nölke and Hugh Beale, Johnny Herre, Jérôme Huet, Peter Schlechtriem †, Matthias Storme, Stephen Swann, Paul Varul, Anna Veneziano and Fryderyk Zoll More texts by the Study Group and the Acquis Group are available at www.law-net.eu. The print of this edition was supported by the Dieter Fuchs Stiftung in Dissen (Germany). ISBN 978-3-86653-059-1 The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografi e; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Inter- net at http://dnb.d-nb.de. © 2008 by sellier. european law publishers GmbH, Munich. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, trans- lated, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. The Index was prepared by Rechtsanwältin Dr. Martina Schulz, Pohlheim. Design: Sandra Sellier, Munich. Production: Karina Hack, Munich. Ty pesetting: fi dus Publikations-Service GmbH, Augsburg. Printing and binding: Friedrich Pustet KG, Regensburg. Printed on acid-free, non-ageing paper. Printed in Germany. Table of contents Introduction 1 Academic contributors and funders 41 Table of Destinations 51 Table of Derivations 59 Model Rules 71 Book I General provisions 101 Book II Contracts and other juridical acts 105 Book III Obligations and corresponding rights 149 Book IV Specific contracts and the rights and obligations arising from them 191 Book V Benevolent intervention in another’s affairs 297 Book VI Non-contractual liability arising out of damage caused to another 301 Book VII Unjustified enrichment 319 Annex 1 Definitions 327 Annex 2 Computation of time 345 Index 347 Introduction General 1. DCFR and CFR distinguished ........................................... 3 2. An interim outline edition of the DCFR ............................... 4 3. The timing and nature of this edition .................................. 4 4. An academic, not a politically authorised text ........................ 5 5. About this introduction ................................................. 5 The purposes of the DCFR 6. A possible model for a political CFR ................................... 6 7. Legal science, research and education .................................. 6 8. A possible source of inspiration ........................................ 7 Contents of the DCFR 9. Principles, definitions and model rules ................................. 8 10. Meaning of ‘principles’ .................................................. 8 11. Underlying principles ................................................... 9 12. Definitions ............................................................... 9 13. Model rules .............................................................. 10 14. Comments and notes .................................................... 10 Aims and underlying values 15. Ongoing discussion on ‘fundamental principles’ ....................... 10 16. A matter of political standpoint ........................................ 11 17. Request for comments .................................................. 11 18. Function and purpose of ‘fundamental principles’ ..................... 11 19. ‘Fundamental principles’ expressed as aims ............................ 12 20. Model of society and economic system ................................. 12 21. Community law and Member States’ laws as the measure ............ 12 22. Core aims of European private law ..................................... 13 23. Balancing conflicting aims and values ................................. 13 24. Justice .................................................................... 14 25. Freedom, in particular freedom of contract ............................ 14 1 Introduction 26. Restrictions on freedom to contract .................................... 14 27. Restrictions on freedom to determine contents of contract ........... 15 28. Minimum intervention .................................................. 15 29. Economic welfare ........................................................ 16 30. Interventions to promote efficiency .................................... 16 31. Protection of human rights ............................................. 17 32. Solidarity and social responsibility ..................................... 17 33. Good faith ............................................................... 17 34. Contracts harmful to third persons and society in general ............ 18 35. EU-specific aims ......................................................... 18 36. Rationality, legal certainty, predictability, efficiency .................. 18 The coverage of the DCFR 37. Wider coverage than PECL ............................................. 19 38. Non-contractual obligations ............................................ 19 39. Matters of movable property law ....................................... 19 40. Matters excluded ........................................................ 19 41. Reasons for the approach adopted ...................................... 19 42. Contract law as part of private law ..................................... 20 Structure and language of the DCFR model rules 43. Structure of the model rules ............................................ 20 44. Mode of numbering the model rules .................................... 21 45. Ten books ................................................................ 21 46. Books II and III .......................................................... 22 47. Juridical acts and obligations ........................................... 22 48. Contractual and non-contractual obligations .......................... 23 49. Language ................................................................. 23 How the DCFR relates to PECL, the SGECC PEL series, the Acquis and the Insurance Contract Group series 50. Based in part on the PECL .............................................. 24 51. Deviations from PECL ................................................... 24 52. Examples ................................................................. 24 53. Input from stakeholders ................................................. 25 54. Developments since the publication of the PECL ...................... 25 55. The PEL series ........................................................... 26 56. Deviations from the PEL series ......................................... 27 2 General Intr. 1 57. Improvements ........................................................... 27 58. The Acquis Principles (ACQP) ........................................ 28 59. Principles of European Insurance Contract Law ....................... 28 How the DCFR may be used as preparatory work for the CFR 60. Announcements by the Commission ................................... 29 61. Purposes of the CFR ..................................................... 30 62. Green Paper on the Review of the Consumer Acquis ................. 30 63. Improving the existing and future acquis: model rules ................ 30 64. Improving the acquis: developing a coherent terminology ............ 31 65. No functional terminology list without rules .......................... 32 66. Improving the acquis: principles ........................................ 32 67. Coverage of the CFR .................................................... 33 68. Consumer law ........................................................... 33 69. Revision of the acquis and further harmonisation measures .......... 33 70. Terms and concepts referred to in Directives .......................... 34 71. When in doubt, topics should be included ............................. 34 72. Essential background information ...................................... 35 73. Good faith as an example ............................................... 35 74. Presupposed rules of national law ...................................... 36 75. DCFR not structured on an ‘everything or nothing’ basis ............. 36 76. The CFR as the basis for an optional instrument ...................... 37 Next steps 77. Review of the DCFR .................................................... 37 78. Outstanding matters .................................................... 38 79. Square brackets .......................................................... 38 80. Full and final DCFR ..................................................... 38 81. CFR ...................................................................... 39 General 1. DCFR and CFR distinguished. In this volume the Study Group on a European Civil Code and the Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (the ‘Acquis Group’) present the first academic Draft of a Common Frame of Reference (DCFR). It contains Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law in an interim 3 Intr. 2 Introduction outline edition. Among other goals its completion fulfils an obliga- tion to the European Commission undertaken in 2005. The Com- mission’s Research Directorate-General funded part of the work. One purpose of the text is to serve