The recent financial crisis has questioned whether existing contracts may be adapted, terminated or renegotiated as a result of unexpected circumstances. The question is not a new one. In medieval times the notion of clausula rebus sic stantibus was developed to cope with such situations, and Germany introduced the theory of Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage. In England, the Coronation cases provided one possible answer. This comparative study explores the possibility of classifying jurisdictions as 'open' or 'closed' in this regard.
A comprehensive comparative treatment of six instances of time-limited interests in land as encountered in fourteen European jurisdictions. The survey explores the commercial or social origins of each legal institution concerned and highlights their enforceability against third parties, their content and their role in land development. The commercial purpose of residential and agricultural leases is contrasted with the social aim of personal servitudes (and its common-law equivalent liferent) to provide sustenance for life to mostly family members making the latter an important estate planning device. Whereas the ingrained principles of leases and personal servitudes restrain the full exploitation of land, it is indicated that public authorities and private capital could combine to turn the old-fashioned time-limited institutions of hereditary building lease (superficies) and hereditary land lease (emphyteusis) into pivotal devices in alleviating the acute shortage of social housing
How should a landowner respond when a squatter occupies their land? This book discusses the issues focussing on vindicatio, possessory remedies and trespass, but also explores administrative procedures for their removal. In many cases, these actions derive from Roman laws, which are expertly explored in an introductory chapter. Also included is a chapter exploring human rights interventions in such actions. Twelve case studies offer an extensive and comparative analysis across sixteen European jurisdictions. The basic defendants covered are squatters taking over a home, environmental protesters, licensees and former tenants. The case studies include, amongst others, self-help; restitution; competing claims to ownership (and the relevance of registration systems to claims to ownership); adverse possession; neighbours; nuisance and encroachment.
This is the first comprehensive work to capture the rise of moral damages (non-pecuniary loss) in European contract law through a historical and comparative analysis. Unique features of this study include the first classification scheme of the systems into liberal, moderate and conservative regimes, a taxonomy of non-pecuniary loss drawn from a European-wide jurisprudence, and a comprehensive bibliography of the subject. Written by a leading academic on comparative law, Palmer's precise and practical insights on Europe's leading cases will be of great interest to academic researchers and practitioners alike.
This is the first comprehensive comparative treatment of condominium (apartment ownership, commonhold, horizontal property) law in 21 European jurisdictions. This book explores the genesis of condominium law in Europe and in each of the jurisdictions represented and the use made of the condominium format to structure residential, commercial, industrial and tourist condominiums. It examines the establishment of condominiums, basic condominium concepts and the role by-laws play in establishing harmony in a condominium. Included are ten case studies, which illustrate a variety of factual scenarios and focus on providing legal solutions to practical cases. The scenarios include, amongst others, the legal consequences of a sale of apartments from building plans; restrictions on the sale and letting of apartments; the keeping of pets and the conduct of a profession (such as a medical practice) in an apartment; the sanctions against defaulters of contributions; and the requirements for
The transfer of immovables in Europe creates a series of challenges and questions in practice. The increase in cross-border transactions of immovable property within the European Union has created a demand for knowledge of the system of land registration across a range of jurisdictions. This volume compares and contrasts the different legal processes of seventeen countries and includes a comprehensive analysis of the transfer of immovables and the Land Register in Europe. With fifteen case studies, it provides both theoretical and practical information on the applicable contract and land law. This volume encourages the reader to evaluate legal issues by using the wider European legal sources available. For this very purpose, it is an important research tool for comparative study in the field.
In the debate on the enforcement of competition law, many take the view that Europe should avoid the traps US law has fallen into by admitting excessive litigation. European law should not pave the way for judicial proceedings which ultimately serve the interests of lawyers or other agents rather than injured parties. This inquiry describes the state of remedies in competition law in fifteen European countries, analyses the underlying determinants, and proposes ways of improving the enforcement of competition law. The International and European legal frameworks are presented, as is the approach of US-American law. It is argued that efforts to strengthen private enforcement of antitrust law should benefit from the rich European experience in unfair competition law. The divergence between the two fields of law is not so huge that a completely different treatment is justified. Thus, a specifically European way of competition law enforcement could be developed.
The recent financial crisis has questioned whether existing contracts may be adapted, terminated or renegotiated as a result of unexpected circumstances. The question is not a new one. In medieval times the notion of clausula rebus sic stantibus was developed to cope with such situations, and Germany introduced the theory of Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage. In England, the Coronation cases provided one possible answer. This comparative study explores the possibility of classifying jurisdictions as 'open' or 'closed' in this regard.
Through a comprehensive analysis of sixteen European legal systems, based on an assessment of national answers to a factual questionnaire, Causation in European Tort Law sheds light on the operative rules applied in each jurisdiction to factual and legal causation problems. It highlights how legal systems' features impact on the practical role that causation is called upon to play, as well as the arguments of professional lawyers. Issues covered include the conditions under which a causal link can be established, rules on contribution and apportionment, the treatment of supervening, alternative and uncertain causes, the understanding of loss-of-a-chance cases, and the standard and the burden of proving causation. This is a book for scholars, students and legal professionals alike.
