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The DCFR, the Avant-projet Catala and French Legal Scholars: A Story of Cat and Mouse?

Document Cited authorities 1 Cited in Related
Vincent
Date01 September 2008
Pages351-373
DOI10.3366/E1364980908000619
AuthorRuth Sefton-Green
Published date01 September 2008
INTRODUCTION

In 2005 a French working group published an Avant-projet de réforme du droit des obligations et de la prescription (“Avant-projet Catala”).1

http://www.justice.gouv.fr/index.php?rubrique=10047&ssrubrique=10049&article=11944. This was subsequently published as P Catala, Rapport sur l'avant-projet de réforme du droit des obligations et du droit de la prescription (2006).

At the end of 2007 a Draft Common Frame of Reference (“DCFR”) was submitted to the European Commission by the Study Group on a European Civil Code and the Research Group on EC Private Law (Acquis Group).2

C von Bar, E Clive and H Schulte-Nölke (eds), Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law: Draft Common Frame of Reference (interim outline edition, 2008) (henceforth DCFR); also available at e.g. http://webh01.ua.ac.be/storme/DCFRInterim.pdf or http://www.law-net.eu.

 How much ink should we spill over such academic proposals for legislative reform, especially if there are misgivings as to substance, content and legitimacy and doubts as to the prospects for implementation? In an attempt to learn from these projects this paper aims to evaluate and reflect on the position of legal scholars on the political legal scene, and to compare the content of some selected provisions. The overall objective is to investigate how the Avant-projet Catala, a proposal to reform the French Civil Code, and the DCFR, a proposal which looks very much like a European Civil Code, fit together: do these projects have different goals or are they in competition with one another? More particularly, this paper investigates whether these French3

Of course, there are other recent re-codifications in Europe which could be included in the discussion but this paper focuses exclusively on the French project.

 and European initiatives are conducive to creating a more European private law or, on the contrary, whether they reinforce legal nationalism THE COMPETITION FOR INTELLECTUAL HEGEMONY

In order to examine the activities of French legal scholars in Europe, the various strategies and politics of code-building projects must be considered. Four different phases can be identified over the last four years, from which a certain pattern of competition emerges. These involve the launching of two ambitious projects of codification and re-codification.

Codification and re-codification

From a French perspective the first phase of codification of European private law was marked by Christian von Bar's conference at the Cour de cassation in April 2002, organised by the Société de législation comparée.4

The conference (“Towards a European Civil Code”) can be consulted at http:// www.courdecassation.fr.

French scholars reacted in a mostly hostile fashion to von Bar's account of the Study Group on a European Civil Code.5

G Cornu, “Un code civil n'est pas un instrument communautaire” (2002) Dalloz Chr 351; Y Lequette, “Quelques remarques à propos du projet de code civil européen de M Von Bar” (2002) Dalloz Chr 2202; P Malinvaud, “Réponse – hors délai – à la Commission européenne à propos d'un code européen des contrats” (2002) Dalloz 2542; J Huet, “Nous faut-il un ‘euro’ droit civil?” (2002) Dalloz Chr 2611; B Fauvarque-Cosson, “Faut-il un code civil européen?” (2002) Revue trimestrielle de droit civil 463; N Charbit, “L'esperanto du droit? La rencontre du droit communautaire et du droit des contrats” (2002) La semaine juridique I 100; Ph Malaurie, “Le code civil européen des obligations et des contrats. Une question toujours ouverte” (2002) La semaine juridique I 110; V Heuzé, “A propos d'une initiative européenne en matière de droit des contrats” (2002) La semaine juridique I 152; C Witz, “La longue gestation d'un code européen des contrats” (2003) Revue trimestrielle de droit civil 447.

 It was clear to anyone present that French scholars felt left out of the European legal stage, a fact that was partially engendered by language (few scholars of the old school being able to work in English) but was also due to the inward-looking nature of French legal scholarship. When French scholars became aware that the Study Group was fashioning and promoting a European Civil Code, they began to realise both the French Civil Code, as well as French legal scholarship itself, had lost their attraction. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, unlike 100 years before,6

Congrès international de droit comparé, held in Paris in 1900: see Procès-verbaux des séances et documents (1905).

 there was no longer talk about French influence and prestige, evoked by the metaphor of rayonnement. On the contrary, a decline7

F Ranieri, “L'influence du Code civil sur les codifications du 19ème siècle: essor et déclin d'un modèle européen,” in Liber Amicorum Guido Alpa. Private Law Beyond National Systems (2007) 831.

 or eclipse8

B Fauvarque-Cosson and S Patris-Godebot, Le Code civil face à son destin (2006) 73f.

 had been identified. Moreover, French scholars felt not only marginalised but threatened by von Bar's project. This debate engendered national resistance, as well as its unfortunate cousin, legal nationalism.9

Lequette (n 5).

While the Study Group project was already underway, French scholars became aware, somewhat belatedly, of the Principles of European Contract Law (“PECL”).10

O Lando and H Beale (eds), Principles of European Contract Law, parts I and II (2000); O Lando, E Clive, A Prüm and R Zimmermann (eds), Principles of European Contract Law, part III (2003).

The attraction of PECL became apparent at a colloquium organised at the Université de Sceaux in January 2003.11

P Rémy-Corlay and D Fenouillet (eds), Les concepts contractuels français à l'heure des PDEC (2003).

 The translation into French of the commentary on PECL was published in the same year by the Société de législation comparée as well as a collection of articles about French legal thought and harmonisation in Europe.12

G Rouhette, I de Lambeterie, D Tallon and C Witz, Principes du droit européen des contrats (2003); B Fauvarque-Cosson and E Mazeaud (eds), Pensée juridique française et harmonisation européen du droit (2003).

 With hindsight, it seems that PECL may have acted as a sort of catalyst or trigger to reform the French Civil Code.13

See Rapport sur l'avant-projet Catala (n 1) 11.

 Indeed it has been suggested that PECL has the quality of a magnet for French legal scholars: one of attraction and resistance.14

B Fauvarque-Cosson and D Mazeaud, “Avant projet de réforme et les PECD: variation sur les champs magnétiques dans l'univers contractual” (2006) 146 Les petites affiches 3.

In 2004 numerous events were organised to celebrate the bicentenary of the French Civil Code,15

Le Code civil, Livre du bicentenaire (2004).

the political16

For example, President Jacques Chirac gave a speech at a colloquium organised at the Sorbonne on 11 March 2004: see Le Code civil, Livre du bicentenaire 3-4.

 and historical symbolism17

For example, an exhibition at the Assemblée nationale was organised to celebrate the event and a collector's stamp was issued: see Le Code civil, Livre du bicentenaire (n 15) 11-12.

 of which does not need to be spelt out. Many academic conferences and colloquia took place, including those with a comparative law dimension, both at the Cour de cassation18

For example, see B Markesinis, “200 ans dans la vie d'un code célèbre. Réflexions historiques et comparatives à propos des projets européens” (2004) Revue trimestrielle de droit civil 45.

 and within the academic community generally.19

See for example J-L Tulard, “Code Cambacérès? Code Portalis? Code Napoléon?” (speech given on 15 March 2004 at the Académie des sciences morales et politiques; available at http://www.asmp.fr).

 When, in the same year, the World Bank report on Doing Business represented Civil Law legal systems in a rather unfavourable light,20

Doing Business 2004: Understanding Regulation (available at http://rru.worldbank.org/Documents/DoingBusiness/2004/DB2004-full-report.pdf).

 French legal actors reacted defensively and set up a series of enquiries on this theme.21

See X Lagarde, “Brèves réflexions sur l'attractivité économique du droit français des contrats” (2005) Dalloz 2745; F Rouvillois (ed), Le modèle juridique français: un obstacle au développement économique (2005); B du Marais (ed), Des indicateurs pour mesurer le droit. Les limites méthodologique des rapports Doing Business (2006); Les droits de tradition civiliste en question. A propos des Rapports Doing Business de la Banque Mondiale (2006).

 The competition between the Common Law and Civil Law systems was out in the open.22

Fauvarque-Cosson & Patris-Godebot, Le Code civil face à son destin (n 8) 196: “Dans ce contexte de concurrence très affirmée, les juristes français, qu'ils soient magistrats, avocats, notaires, universitaires, conseillers juridiques se mobilisent. L'heure n'est plus à la defensive mais à la contre-offensive.”

It is with these events in the background that the Avant-projet Catala was set up. This project can be interpreted variously as an imitation of its European counterpart (the Study Group on a European Civil Code), as a defence of the Civil Law tradition in the light of the World Bank's report, and as a continuation of a scholarly tradition within France which began with the Civil Code of 1804. The similarities with the Study Group on a European Civil Code are noticeable: the French working group, consisting of 36 participants, mostly academics,23

Rapport sur l'avant-projet Catala (n 1) 1 lists the 36 participants, of whom 2 are women. All but 2 are professors or emeritus professors of law, including 12 from Université Paris II and 8 from Université Paris I. The 2 members who are not academics are honorary judges of the Cour de cassation.

started off as a self-appointed group of legal scholars, sponsored by the Association Henri Capitant. The project was completed in 30 months with the help of the Ministry of Justice.24

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