Green Paper on Policy Options for Progress Towards a European Contract Law for Consumers and Businesses What do we want?
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Assunção Cristas
Abstract
Although based on academic background and literature, my answer to the questions posed by the European Commission turns out to be rather political as from my point of view it is impossible to address those questions in a purely technical way. Although there are other, probably more relevant, obstacles to the internal market, I consider that there is enough evidence to assume that different legislation is an obstacle well worth looking at. I begin with the discussion of goals, strictly connected to the scope of application, and move to the debate on formal/informal harmonisation of contract law. As on one side there is not enough evaluation to sustain solidly that harmonisation or unification is better that diversity that meets local preferences, and on the other side liberty, subsidiarity and proportionality claim for parties' freedom to opt for their better solution, I support the view that Member States must be able to maintain their internal law but at the same time must wide the parties' scope of options with the approval of a Regulation on European contract law. In any case, a lot of assessment should still take place.
Résumé
Bien que fondée sur une littérature et un contexte universitaires, ma réponse aux questions posées par la Commission européenne se révèle être plutôt politique, comme de mon point de vue il est impossible de considérer ces réponses sur une base purement technique. Bien qu'il y ait d'autre obstacles, probablement plus pertinents, au marché intérieur, je considère qu'il y a assez d'éléments pour supposer que la diversité des législations est un obstacle qui vaut la peine d'être examiné. Je commence avec la discussion des buts, étroitement liés au domaine d'application, et envisage ensuite le débat sur l'harmonisation formelle/ informelle du droit des contrats. Comme d'un côté il n'y a pas assez d'évaluation pour soutenir solidement que l'harmonisation ou l'unification est meilleure que la diversité qui rencontre localement des préférences, et que de l'autre côté la liberté, la subsidiarité et la proportionnalité requièrent la liberté des parties d'opter pour leur solution préférée, je soutiens que les États membres doivent être capables de maintenir leur droit interne mais dans le même temps doivent élargir la portée des options offertes aux parties avec l'approbation du droit européen des contrats. Dans tous les cas, de nombreuses évaluations devraient encore avoir lieu.
Zusammenfassung
Die hier vorgetragenen Gesichtspunkte gründen zwar in einem wissenschaftlichen Umfeld, sind jedoch primär politischer Natur. Auf den von der EU Kommission vorgelegten Fragenkatalog gibt es nämlich keine juristisch-technische Antwort. Obwohl es wahrscheinlich noch wichtigere Behinderungen des Binnenmarktes gibt, spricht doch Vieles dafür, dass Rechtsunterschiede durchaus ein gewisses Behinderungspotential haben. Daher werden zunächst die Ziele diskutiert, dies in unmittelbarem Bezug mit Fragen zum Anwendungsbereich, um dann zur Frage zu kommen, wie stark die Lösung in Richtung förmliche Harmonisierung gehen sollte oder nicht. Da nicht genügend Argumente verlässlich dafür sprechen, dass Harmonisierung oder Vereinheitlichung einem Regime der Vielfalt überlegen sind, in dem lokale Präferenzen passgenauer bedient werden, and da umgekehrt die Freiheitsrechte sowie das Subsidiaritäts- und das Verhältnismäßigkeitsprinzip dafür sprechen, den Parteien die Wahlfreiheit einzuräumen, wird folgende Lösung befürwortet: Die Mitgliedstaaten müssen ihre nationalen Rechte beibehalten können, zugleich jedoch die Wahlfreiheiten der Parteien erweitern, indem sie eine entsprechende EU-Verordnung verabschieden. Vor allem jedoch: Eine umfangreiche Diskussion ist unverzichtbar.
Articles in the same Issue
- A Competitive Approach to EU Contract Law
- Choice, Certainty and Diversity: Why More is Less
- The Commission's 2010 Green Paper on European Contract Law: Reflections on Union Competence in Light of the Proposed Options
- European Contract Law Reform and European Consumer Law – Two Related But Distinct Regimes
- A European Civil Law – for Whom and What Should it Include? Reflections on the Scope of Application of a Future European Legal Instrument
- Is the DCFR ready to be adopted as an Optional Instrument?
- The Common Frame of Reference and the Relationship between National Law and European Law
- ‘Good-Bye Harmonisation by Directives, Hello Cross-Border only Regulation?’ – A way forward for EU Consumer Contract Law
- Policy Choices in European Consumer law: Regulation through ‘Targeted Differentiation’
- An Economic Analysis of Harmonization Regimes: Full Harmonization, Minimum Harmonization or Optional Instrument?
- Five political ideas of European contract law
- Green Paper on Policy Options for Progress Towards a European Contract Law for Consumers and Businesses What do we want?
- ‘Choice is good.’ Really?
- An Optional Instrument and Social dumping revisited
- Towards a European Contract Law through Social Dialogue
- General Conclusions
Articles in the same Issue
- A Competitive Approach to EU Contract Law
- Choice, Certainty and Diversity: Why More is Less
- The Commission's 2010 Green Paper on European Contract Law: Reflections on Union Competence in Light of the Proposed Options
- European Contract Law Reform and European Consumer Law – Two Related But Distinct Regimes
- A European Civil Law – for Whom and What Should it Include? Reflections on the Scope of Application of a Future European Legal Instrument
- Is the DCFR ready to be adopted as an Optional Instrument?
- The Common Frame of Reference and the Relationship between National Law and European Law
- ‘Good-Bye Harmonisation by Directives, Hello Cross-Border only Regulation?’ – A way forward for EU Consumer Contract Law
- Policy Choices in European Consumer law: Regulation through ‘Targeted Differentiation’
- An Economic Analysis of Harmonization Regimes: Full Harmonization, Minimum Harmonization or Optional Instrument?
- Five political ideas of European contract law
- Green Paper on Policy Options for Progress Towards a European Contract Law for Consumers and Businesses What do we want?
- ‘Choice is good.’ Really?
- An Optional Instrument and Social dumping revisited
- Towards a European Contract Law through Social Dialogue
- General Conclusions
