European Civil Law
Course type
Study programme and level
Language
slovenščina
Lectures | Seminar | Tutorial | Druge oblike študija | Individual Work | ECTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
40 | 160 | 8 |
Study programme and level | Study field | Academic year | Semester |
II. level | 1-2 | 1 |
Course type
Compulsory
Workload | Lectures (h/semester) | Seminar
(h/semester) |
Tutorial
(h/semester) |
Individual Work (h/semester) | ECTS |
40 | 160 | 8 |
Lecturer
prof. dr. Verica Trstenjak
Language
English
Prerequisites
Content (Syllabus outline)
I. Introduction
1. General remarks on EU legal sources harmonisation and unification in the EU
2. The significance of the judgments of the Court of justice of the EU
3. Distinction between the unification of substantive law and law governing collision
II. European Contract Law
1. Goals, methods and importance of unifying European Contract Law
2. Areas of unification of European Contract Law
3. Examples of informal unification proposals
– PECL (Principles of European Contract Law)
– material of the Study Group on a European Civil Code
– CFR (Common Frame of Reference)
4. Proposal for a Regulation on a Common European Sales Law (COM(2011) 635 final)
5. Analysis of significant case-law of the CJEU (e.g. Easy car C-336/03, Schulte C-350/03, Leitner C-168/00, Travel Vac C-432/97, Mavrona C-85/03, Quelle C-404/06, Messner C-489/07)
III. European Tort Law
1. General remarks on the importance, methods and goals of unifying European Tort Law
2. Activities of the European Commission and expert groups relating to the unification
3. Analysis of significant case-law of the CJEU (e.g. Leitner, C-168/00, Rechberger C-140/97, Dillenkofer C-178/94, C-179/94, C-188/94, C-189/94 and C-190/94, Veedfald C-203/99, Sosua Rodriguez and Others C-83/10)
IV. European Consumer Law
1. General remarks on importance, methods and goals of unifying European Consumer Law
2. Directives adopted in the field of consumer protection
2.1. General system of consumer protection -general directives on consumer protection
2.1.1. Liability for defective goods
2.1.2. Unfair terms in consumer contracts
2.1.3. Price labelling and comparative advertising
2.1.4. Guarantees for the sale of consumer goals
2.1.5. Consumer loans
2.1.6. Consumer protection in the interest of consumers
2.2. A special regulation of consumer protection
2.2.1. Directives regulating particular forms of sale
– concluding contracts outside the business premises (doorstep selling)
– distance selling of financial services
2.2.2. Time sharing
2.3. Special regulation of electronic commerce
2.3.1.General frame of e-commerce and consumers
2.3.2. Consumers and digital signature
2.4. Special regulation of tourist travel
2.5. Specifically on the rights of passengers
2.6. New developments : Directive 2011/83 on consumers rights
3. Minimum and full harmonisation
4. Analysis of significant case-law of the CJEU
(e.g. Rechberger C-140/97, Dillenkofer C-178/94, C-179/94, C-188/94, C-189/94 andC-190/94, Verein für Konsumenteninformation, C-364/96, Leitner C-168/00, easy car C-336/03, Travel Vac C-432/97, Veedfald C-203/99, González Sánchez C-183/00, Océano Grupo C-240/98, Freiburger Kommunalbauten C-237/02, Mostaza Claro C-168/05, Pippig Augenoptik C-44/01, Quelle C-404/06, Messner C-489/07, Wallentin-Hermann C-549/07, Sturgeon and Others C-402/07 and C-432/07, Sosua Rodriguez and Others C-83/10)
V. European Company Law and Law on other legal entities
1. General remarks on importance, methods and goals of unifying European Company law and Law on other legal entities
2. Legal regulation of legal entities in the EU
3. Company Law in the EU
4. Companies and other subject in EU Law
4.1. Societas Europaea – European public limited-liability company
4.1.1. General remarks and development
4.1.2. Regulation on the Statute for a European Company (SE)
4.1.3.Notion and basic characteristics
4.1.4. Formation and dissolution of SE
4.1.5. Organs of SE
4.1.6. Bringing the regulation into force and regulation of other areas
4.2. European Economic Interest Group
4.3. European Cooperative Society
4.4. European Association and Foundation
4.5. European Private Company
4.6. European Mutual Society
5. Individual directives from the field of company law (e.g. merger directive, directive on take over bids, directive concerning disclosure requirements etc.)
6. Trust and its potential harmonisation in the EU
7. Analysis of significant case-law of the CJEU
(e.g. Centros C-217/97, Überseering C-208/00, Inspire art C-167/01, European Information Technology Observatory, Europäische Wirtschaftliche Interessenvereinigung C-402/96, Cartesio C-210/06, Commission/ Spain C-338/06, Audiolux and Others C-101/08, Idryma Typou C-81/09)
VI. European Civil Procedure Law
1. General remarks on importance, methods and goals of unifying European Civil Procedure Law
2. The area of jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters
3. Cross boarder service in the EU
4. Cross boarder presenting of evidence
5. European order for payment
6. Legal aid in disputes with cross boarder linking factors
7. Unification of family procedural law
8. Inheritance and wills de lege ferenda
9. Analysis of significant case-law of the CJEU
(Engler C-27/02, ASML C-283/05, Götz Leffler C-443/03, Plumex C-473/04, Kapferer C-234/04, Reisch Montage C-103/05, Glaxosmithkline C-462/06, Pammer and Alpenhof C-585/08 and C-144/09).
VII. European Civil Code
1. General remarks on study Group on a European Civil Code (http://www.sgecc.net/)
2. Content and scope of the European Civil Code
3. Why having a European Civil Code?
4. Legal possibilities of adopting a European Civil Code
5. Common Frame of Reference
6. Proposal for a Regulation on Common European Sales Law (COM (2011) 635 final)
VIII. Other relevant fields of law
1. European Labour Law (Mangold C-144/05, Schultz-Hoff C-350/06, Kücükdeveci C-555/07, Dominguez C-282/10)
2. Intellectual Property Law – selected chapters
2.1. Trade marks (Becker v Harman C-51/09 P, Agencja Wydawnicza Technopol v OHIM C-51/10 P, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli v OHIM T-336/08, C-98/11 P)
2.2. Copyright (SGAE v Rafael Hoteles C-306/05, Painer C-145/10, SCF Consorzio Fonografici C-135/10, Phonographic Performance C-162/10)
2.3. Other (protected designation of origin, protected geographical indication, traditional speciality guaranteed)
2.4. Intellectual Property and the internet (Promusicae C-275/06, Scarlet Extended C-70/10)
IX. Other Relevant Legal Concepts
1. State liability for damage caused by violation of EU law (Francovich C-6/90 and C-9/90, Brasserie du Pêcheur C-46/93 and C-48/93, Haim C-424/97, Köbler C-224/01, Traghetti del Mediterraneo C-173/03, Eman and Sevinger C-300/04, Dominguez C-282/10)
Study Literature
- Trstenjak, V./Beysen, E.: European consumer protection law: curia semper dabit remedium?,v: Common market law review, 2011, vol. 48, nr. 1, pp. 95-124.
- Schulze,R. (ur.), Common Frame of Reference and Existing EC Contract Law, Sellier, 2008.
- Tort law- see materials at http://civil.udg.es/tort/principles/.Lando,O./Beale,H.: Principles of European Contract Law, I, II, Kluwer, Haag, 2000.
Objectives and competences
The course considers procedural and substantive civil law and other areas of private law in the EU. It encompasses the most important areas of unification and harmonisation of private law. It acquaints with legal regulation of European contract and tort law, which has faced important developments recently, with harmonisation of legal entities, in particular companies (e.g. European public limited-liability company), partly also with harmonisation of labour law, in particular participation of workers, cases of insolvency of the employer etc. It further acquaints with European civil procedure law, which has been a part of an extensive harmonisation in the past years. It represents also harmonisation of other areas of private law (tort law, trust law). Thereby, it enables to get acquainted with the current legislation and with proposals that are still being discussed at the European level.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
In the course of the study and by analysing case-law, in particular the one of the CJEU, a student will get acquainted with the most important areas of European civil law. Considering that this area encompasses legal relations that we enter on a daily basis, the knowledge acquired is all the more important.
Learning and teaching methods
Assessment
Lecturer’s references
– Professor for EU Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Vienna /since 2013.
– External scientific member at the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law /since 2013.
– Lecturer on different masters programmes and summer schools at different universities, e.g.:
• Facutly of Law, University of Vienna/since 2013: LLM programme European Studies, lecturer: Fundamental rights in the EU,
• University of Salzburg, Summer School European Private Law/since 2010,
• Insbruck/Alpbach: univeristy programme on European law (summer programme) /since 2014), course Legal protection in the EU and fundamental rights
Books:
1. The Influence of Human Rights and Basic Rights in Private Law, Springer 2016, together with Petra Weingerl (593 str.)
2. Pravo EU, Ustavno, procesno in gospodarsko pravo EU (EU Law, Constitutional, Procedural and Economic Law), GV Založba, Ljubljana, 2012, 840 str., together with Maja Brkan
Book chapters:
1. Trstenjak Verica: Les recours collectifs et leur importance pour la protection des consommateurs, v: “Mélanges en l’honneur de Skouris”, Bruylant, (2016) , str. 681-696
2. Trstenjak Verica/ Plauštajner Katja: The Obligation to Make a Reference for a Preliminary Ruling: a Punished Obligation?, v: “La sanction de la violation de l’obligation de renvoi prejudicial”, Coutron Laurent (Hrsg.), Bruylant 2014 , str. 459-478
3. Trstenjak Verica: The “Instruments” for implementing European Private Law-
The influence of the ECJ Case Law on the Development and Formation of European
Private Law, v: The Making of Europe Private Law: Why, How, What, Who (Sellier, 2013), str.77-92
4. Trstenjak Verica: Europäische Grundrechtecharta – Perspektiven für die
vorsorgende Rechtspflege der Notare, Tagungsband der 24. Salzburger Notarentage,
Manz 2013, str. 51-73
5. Trstenjak Verica: Das Urheberrecht im Spiegel der europäischen Rechtsprechung, v:
Berka, Grabenwarter, Holoubek, (ur.), Das Immaterialgüterrecht in elektronischen
Medien, Schriftenreihe der elektronischen Massenmedien Band 11, Manz 2013, str. 21-
43
6. Trstenjak Verica: Rechtsvergleichende Aspekte: Die Kooperation zwischen dem
EuGH und den nationalen Gerichten, insbesondere in Bezug auf die
Grundrechtecharta, Tagungsband des 12. Österreichischen Europarechtstags 2012,
Manz 2013, str. 13-34
Articles:
With SSCI:
1. Trstenjak Verica: Civis Europeus sum – Union citizenship and the influence of the Court of Justice of the EU, European Review, Cambridge University Press, Volume 23, str. 71-80 (Social Sciences Citation Index)
2. Trstenjak Verica/ Beysen Erwin: The Growing Overlap of Fundamental Freedoms and Fundamental Rights in the Case-law of the CJEU, European Law Review (2013) 38, str.. 293-315 (Social Sciences Citation Index)
3. Trstenjak, Verica/ Beysen Erwin: European consumer protection law: curia semper dabit remedium?, Common market law review, 2011, vol. 48, no. 1, str. 95-124 (Social Sciences Citation Index)
Others important articles published abroad:
– From Ovid’s Golden Age to Modern European Curia: The Prominent Role of the CJEU in Shaping European Consumer Law, European Journal of Consumer Law/Revue européenne du droit de la consummation, 2015/1, str. 3-6
– The Welfare State in Times of Crisis: Threat to the Rule of Law? in Iliopoulos-Strangas (ed.) The future of the Constitutional Welfare State in Europe (2015), str. 299-306
– Zur Haftung von Ratingagenturen – ausgewählte Judikatur, in Welser (Hrsg.) Haftung bei Wertpapierveräußerungen – Rat und Auskunft als Grundlage der Haftung bei der Veräußerung von Wertpapieren nach dem Recht der CEE-Staaten, mit Beiträgen zur Haftung von Rating-Agenturen XI/1 (2015), str. 203-212
– Die neue Verbraucherrechte-Richtlinie in der Rechtsprechung des EuGH, in Welser (Hrsg.), Die Umsetzung der Verbraucherrechte-Richtlinie in den Staaten Zentral- und Osteuropas (2015), str. 233-243
– Collective redress in European Union – American or European model?, Beijing Law Review, 2014, Vol 5, str. 155-162, together with Petra Weingerl
– Common European Sales Law (CESL): The Challenge Faced by the Court of Justice of the European Union and Possible Responses, Tagungsband, Sellier, 2015, str. 87-103
– Union Citizenship within Directive 2004/38/ EC – stability of residence for Union citizens and their family members, national report for FIDE congress 2014, DJOP Publishing Copenhagen 2014, together with Petra Weingerl
– National Sovereignity and the Principle of Primacy in EU Law and their importance for the Member States, Beijing Law Review, 2013, Vol. 4 No. 2, str. 71-76
– Procedural Aspects of European Consumer Protection Law and the Case Law of the CJEU, European Review of Private Law, No. 2/ 2013, str. 451-478
– The Legal System of the EU: The Principle of Primacy in EU Law and the Role of the Constitutional Courts of the Member States, International Justice Journal Moscow, Medzunalodnoe Pravosudie, No. 2 /2012, str. 54-65
– Trstenjak, Verica/ Beysen Erwin: Das Prinzip der Verhältnismäßigkeit in der Unionsrechtsordnung, Europarecht, Vol. 47, No. 3/2012, str. 265–284
– Das Verhältnis zwischen Immaterialgüterrecht und Datenschutzrecht in der Informationsgesellschaft im Lichte der Rechtsprechung des Europäischen Gerichtshofs, Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil (GRUR Int), No. 5/2012 (May 2012), str. 393–402
– Editorial EuVR (Zeitschrift für Europäisches Verbraucherrecht: Wofür brauchen wir eine neue Zeitschrift für Europäisches Unternehmens- und Verbraucherrecht,Vol. 1 No. 1, Springer-Verlag, January 2012, str. 3–5