<p>The final version of the Draft Common Frame of Reference – the DCFR – was published in February 2009.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1"><sup>1</sup></xref><fn id="fn1"><label>1</label><p>C von Bar, E Clive and H Schulte-Nölke (eds), <italic>Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law: Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR),</italic> outline edition (2009, available at <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://webh01.ua.ac.be/storme/2009_02_DCFR_OutlineEdition.pdf" xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://webh01.ua.ac.be/storme/2009_02_DCFR_OutlineEdition.pdf</italic></ext-link>).</p></fn> This was an “outline” edition, containing the text of the ten Books which make up the DCFR. The “full” edition, comprising six substantial volumes of comments and notes, followed in October 2009.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn2"><sup>2</sup></xref><fn id="fn2"><label>2</label><p>C von Bar and E Clive (eds), <italic>Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law: Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR),</italic> full edition (2009).</p></fn> Although the word is carefully avoided, the DCFR has at least the appearance of a code of European private law. Its publication is thus an event of immense importance for the development of legal scholarship in Europe.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn3"><sup>3</sup></xref><fn id="fn3"><label>3</label><p>For ongoing developments, see the European Private Law blog at <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/." xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/.</italic></ext-link></p></fn></p>
<p>The short papers which follow are based on the contributions to a symposium on Book VIII of the DCFR held under the auspices of the Edinburgh Centre for Private Law<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn4"><sup>4</sup></xref><fn id="fn4"><label>4</label><p><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/centreforprivatelaw/." xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/centreforprivatelaw/.</italic></ext-link></p></fn> on 19 February 2010.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn5"><sup>5</sup></xref><fn id="fn5"><label>5</label><p>For an account of the symposium, see <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8100" xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8100</italic></ext-link>.</p></fn> Book VIII, the first of three on the law of property (broadly construed), is concerned with the acquisition and loss of ownership of goods. An introduction to Book VIII is provided by Wolfgang Faber, who was co-leader of the working group which prepared the draft. This is followed by critical reflections from Lars van Vliet, who has written widely on the transfer of movables,<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn6"><sup>6</sup></xref><fn id="fn6"><label>6</label><p>Including an important monograph: L P W van Vliet, <italic>Transfer of Movables in German, French, English and Dutch</italic>...</p></fn></p>
