<p>The final version of the Draft Common Frame of Reference – the DCFR – was published in February 2009.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1-1"><sup>1</sup></xref><fn id="fn1-1"><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="fn1-2"><sup>2</sup></xref><fn id="fn1-2"><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> The short papers which follow are based on the contributions to a symposium on the trust book (Book X) of the DCFR held under the auspices of the Edinburgh Centre for Private Law<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1-3"><sup>3</sup></xref><fn id="fn1-3"><label>3</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>. This followed an earlier Symposium on Book VIII, for which see (2010) 14 EdinLR 498.</p></fn> on 7 February 2011.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1-4"><sup>4</sup></xref><fn id="fn1-4"><label>4</label><p>The flavour of the discussion is admirably captured by Eric Clive's blog: see <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8584" xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8584</italic></ext-link> and <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8587" xlink:type="simple"><italic>http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/epln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8587</italic></ext-link>.</p></fn></p>
<p>In the opening paper, the evident difficulties of drafting “European” provisions in an area of law so heavily dominated by the Common Law are explained by Stephen Swann, the leading figure in the preparation of Book X. The EU is split between those jurisdictions which have the trust and the much larger number of jurisdictions which do not. There are thus two potential groups of user, with priorities which, as Stephen Swann acknowledges, “only partially coincide”. Thus, he continues, “it would be surprising if pan-European model rules on trusts (as opposed to, say, contracts) could do justice to the needs of both constituencies”.</p>
<p>The other papers in the collection put that statement to the test, being evenly drawn from those jurisdictions which...</p>
