Challenges in Legal Education and the Development of a New European Private Law

German Law Journal

Volumn 10, Issue 6-7, 2009, Pages 803-814

  Akkermans, Bram ^a  

^a MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 79960676139     PISSN: None     EISSN: 20718322     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S2071832200001346     Document Type: Article

References (34)

1. PRINCIPLES, DEFINITIONS AND MODEL RULES OF EUROPEAN PRIVATE LAw. DRAFT COMMON FRAME OF REFERENCE, INTERIM OUTLINE EDITION. (Christian von Bar et 01. eds., 2008); PRINCIPLES, DEFINITIONS AND MODEL RULES OF EUROPEAN PRIVATE LAw. DRAFT COMMON FRAME OF REFERENCE, OUTLINE EDITION. (Christian von Bar et 01. eds., 2009).
2. See, on this, SJOERD CLAESSENS, FREE MOVEMENT OFLAWYERS INTHE EUROPEAN UNION (2008).
3. The author was a member ofthe Curriculum Committee setting up a new English language bachelor programme (LL.B.) named the Euroepan Law School - English Track, at Maastricht University. Of course, many other transnational law degree programmes exist.
4. The Maastricht European Law School - English Track (ELS-ET) seems to be a unique programme in the non-English speaking world. Other programmes include, interalia, the Hanse Law School programme between the universities of Groningen (Netherlands), Bremen (Germany) and Oldenburg (Germany) and the Transnational Degree Programme at Utrecht University (Netherlands) and Washington University School of Law (USA). See, P. Zumbansen, Transnational Law, in ENCYCLOPEDIA OFCOMPARATIVE LAw, 748-750 (Jan M. Smits ed., 2006).
5. For an overview of the state of affairs in comparative private law, including methodology, see, THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OFCOMPARATIVE LAw (M. Reimann & R.Zimmermann eds.,2006).
6. See, f o r instance, GREEN PAPER ON CONSUMER COLLECTIVE REDRESS COM(2008) 794 FINAL, CONSULTATION PAPER ON CONSUMER COLLECTIVE REDRESS FOR THE HEARING OF 27 MAY 2009, Available at: h ttp://e c.e u ro p a.e u /c o n s u m e rs /re d re s s _ c o n s /c o lle c tiv e _ re d re s s _ e n.h tm, COUNCIL DECISION OF 12 FEBRUARY 2007 ESTABLISHING FOR THE PERIOD 2007 TO 2013, ASPART OFTHE GENERAL PROGRAMME ON FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ANDJUSTICE, THE SPECIFIC PROGRAMME 'CRIMINAL JUSTICE', OJ 24.2.2007, L58/17, THE COMMISSION'S ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME 2009 ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE OF 28 SEPTEMBER 2008, O f course, a fu ll c u rric u lu m in this n e w style w o u ld also have t o include o t h e r areas o f law. This c o n t r ib u t io n m e re ly seeks t o explore som e o f t h e possibilities t h e d e v e lo p m e n ts in p riv a te la w o f f e r on legal education. Potentially, o t h e r areas o f la w could be inspired f r o m these developm ents.
7. Early works include the famous RENE DAVID,TRAITE ELEMENTAIRE DE DROIT CIVIL COMPARE: INTRODUCTION A L'ETUDE DE DROITS ETRANGERS ET A LA METHODE COMPARATIVE (1950); see, also, J.M. Smits, AEuropeanPrivateLawasaMixed Legal System. TowardsasIus Commune throught the free movement of legalrules, 5 MAASTRICHT JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN AND COMPARATIVE LAw 328, 328-329 (1998).
8. The exceptions are, of course, the law of England and Wales, the law of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. These common law or, in case of Scotland, mixed legal systems, are generally uncodified legal systems. However, the characterisation that these systems have an isolated view and focus on their national tradition just as much applies. See, C. Donahue, Comparative Law before the Code Napoleon, in THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OFCOMPARATIVE LAw, 3 (M. Reimann & R.Zimmermann eds.,2006).
9. REINHARD ZIMMERMANN, THE LAw OF OBLIGATIONS. ROMAN FOUNDATIONS OF THE CIVILIAN TRADITION (1996), H. Patrick Glenn, LegalFamiliesandLegalTraditions, in THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF COMPARATIVE LAw, 421 (M. Reimann & R. Zimmermann eds.,2006). See also, JAMESGORDLEY, FOUNDATIONS OF PRIVATE LAw. PROPERTY, TORT, CONTRACT, UNJUST ENRICHMENT (2006); JAMESGORDLEY AND ARTHUR TAYLOR VON MEHREN, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRIVATE LAw. READINGS, CASES, MATERIALS (2006).
10. R. Zimmermann, Savigny's Legacy;LegalHistory, Comparative Law,andthe Emergence of aEuropeanLegal Science, 112 LAw QUARTERLY REVIEW, 576 (1996); Reinhard Zimmermann, Europeanization of PrivateLaw' in THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OFCOMPARATIVE LAw, 539 (M. Reimann & R.Zimmermann eds.,2006).
11. P ie rre Legrand, Sens Et Non-SensD'unCodeCivilEuropeen, 4 REVUE INTERNATIONALE DE DROITCOMPARE, 7 7 9 (1 9 9 6); P ie rre Legrand, EuropeanLegal Systems AreNotConverging, 45 INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAw QUARTERLY, 52 (1 9 9 6); P ierre Legrand, Against aEuropeanCivilCode, 60, 1 MODERN LAw REVIEW, 44 (1997).
12. See, for example, J.M. Smits, Supra (note 7), 328-329.
13. Gerhard Dannemann, Comparative Law: Study of SimilaritiesorDifferences?, in THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF COMPARATIVE LAw, 383 (M. Reimann & R. Zimmermann eds.,2006).
14. See, for example, the work on legal transplants, M. Graziadei, Comparative Lawasthe Study of Transplantsand Receptions, in: THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF COMPARATIVE LAw, 441, 442-444 (M. Reimann & R. Zimmermann eds.,2006).
15. N. Janssen and R. Zimmermann, Restating theAcquis Communautaire? ACriticalExamination of the"Principles of ExistingECContractLaw, 71 MODERN LAw REVIEW 505 (2008) . Although also the use of the DCFR as a teaching tool has been criticised, see J.M. Smits, TheDraftCommonFrame of Reference, Methodological Nationalism and theWayForward, in: 16 EUROPEAN REVIEW OF PRIVATE LAw 278 (2008).
16. The study group itself also emphasizes the use of its document as a teaching tool. See Christian von Bar et al. (2009),Supra (note 1), 7.
17. See, interalia, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION'S COMMUNICATION ON EUROPEAN CONTRACT LAw AND THE REVISION OF THE ACQUls: THE WAY FORWARD COM' 651 (2004); FIRST ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT ONTHE COMMON FRAME OF Reference, 23 SEPTEMBER 2005COM, 456 (2005) GREEN PAPER ONTHE REVIEW OF THE CONSUMER ACQUIS, 8 FEBRUARY 2007 COM, 744 (2006) and SECOND PROGRESS REPORT ONTHE COMMON FRAME OF REFERENCE 25 JULY 2007 COM, 447 (2007).
18. On the Acquis Principles (ACQP) and the drafting process see C Twigg-Flesner, TheAcquisPrinciples:aninsider's critical reflections onthedraftingprocess, in:. THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HARMONISATION, (C Baasch Andersen, M. Andeneas eds,forthcomming), available at at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1342713.
19. For a rejection of this idea see, interalia, J.H.M. VAN ERP, EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL PROPERTY LAw: OSMOSIS OR GROWING ANTAGONISM? (2006), Vincent Sagaert, De Verworvenheden VanHetEuropese Goederenrecht, in DE INVLOED VAN HET EUROPESE RECHT OP HET NEDERLANDSE PRIVAATRECHT, 301 (A.S. Hartkamp, CH. Sieburgh, and LAD. Keus eds.; 2007), Bram Akkermans, THEPRINCIPLE OFNUMERUS CLAUSUS IN EUROPEAN PROPERTY LAw, 475 (2008).
20. See Case C-69/88 H.KrantzGmbH & Co v Ontvanger derDirecte Belastingen ende Staat der Nederlanden [1990] ECR 1-583, Case C-302/97 KlausKonlevRepublikOsterreich [1999] ECJ 1-3099, Joined Cases C-515/99, C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 to C-540/99 HansReischand others v Biirgermeister des Landeshauptstadt Salzburgand others [2002] ECR 1-2157, and Case C-370/05 CriminalProceedings against UweKayFestersen [2007] ECR 1-1129.
21. Case C-302/97 KlausKonlevRepublikOsterreich [1999] ECJ 1-3099, Joined Cases C-515/99, C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 to C-540/99 HansReischand others v Biirgermeister des Landeshauptstadt Salzburgand others [2002] ECR 1-2157, and Case C-370/05 CriminalProceedings against UweKayFestersen [2007] ECR 1-1129.
22. See, for more on this, Bram Akkermans, Supra (note 19), 195.
23. OLG Munchen 4 September 2003, NJW-RR 2004, 164.
24. Case 8/74 ProcureurduRoivDassonville [1974] ECR 837, Para 5.
25. See, in this respect, the Opinion of AG Geelhoed in Case C-515/99 Reisch [2002] ECR 1-2157.
26. See, for instance, Case 448/98 Criminal Proceedings against Jean-Pierre Guimont [2000] ECR 1-10663, para 22-23, and Case C-515/99 Reisch [2002] ECR 1-2157.
27. The term osmosis is frequently used by Sjef van Erp in his work on European Private Law. See J.H.M. Van Erp, De Osmose Van Nederlands EnEuropees Goederenrecht, 10, 94 NEDERLANDS TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR BURGERLlJK RECHT, 533 (2004), J.H.M. van Erp, EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL PROPERTY LAw, Supra (note 20);and J.H.M. VAN ERP, HUIDIG EN TOEKOMSTIG EUROPEES ZEKERHEDENRECHT, PRE-ADVIES AAN DE KONINKLlJKE NOTARIELE BEROEPSORGANISATIE, (forthcoming).
28. J.H.M. van Erp, HUIDIG EN TOEKOMSTIG EUROPEES ZEKERHEDENRECHT, Supra (note 27).
29. Moreover, it should take into account other international organisations such as the United Nations, The Council of Europe, the World Trade Organisation etc.
30. 30Gerhard Dannemann, Supra (note 13).
31. SeeP.Legrand, Against aEuropeanCivilCode"Supra (note 11); TOWARDS A EUROPEAN CIVIL CODE, 3rd revised and expanded edition, (A. Hartkamp etal.eds.,2004).
32. See, for example, the video's posted online by MEP Diana Wallis. Diana Wallis, OnEuropean Contract Law, Available at:http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1699851/diana_wallis_on_european_contracUaw/.
33. This would seem to be in line with the European Commission's plans for the development of a European Research Area (ERA). See GREEN PAPER THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA: NEWPERSPECTIVES COM, 161 (2007).
34. See, Mark C. Taylor, EndtheUniversityasweknow it, NY TIMES, (27 April 2009), Available at: http://www.nytim es.com /2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.htm l