اصول حقوق قراردادهاي اروپايي: حامل سنت‎ها، پاسخگوي نيازها

Principles of European Contract Law: Bearer of Traditions and Response to Modern Needs

يكي از مهم‌ترين نتايج تلاش‌ها در جهت متحدالشكل شدن حقوق اروپايي‎، اصول حقوق قراردادهاي اروپايي است كه پس از گذشت مدت كوتاهي از انتشار آن، در اين قاره و در خارج از مرزهاي قاره جايگاهي مناسب پيدا كرده است. اصول حقوق قراردادهاي اروپايي اگر چه اصولي است كه حامل سنت حقوقي اروپايي است؛ اما به نيازهاي جهان مدرن در زمينه قراردادها نيز به نحو مناسب پاسخ داده است‎. همين ويژگي سبب شده است نويسندگان حقوق اروپايي آن را بخشي از قانون مدني آينده اروپا بدانند‎. اصول حقوق قراردادهاي اروپايي يك سند حقوق مدني محوري و بنيادين است كه در جهت اروپايي سازي حقوق قراردادها تنظيم و تدوين شده است‎. اين اصول همچنين به عنوان سازمان دهنده جنبش اروپايي سازي حقوق خصوصي از درون و از زير، در مقابل متحدالشكل نمودن حقوق اروپايي از طريق قانون گذاري از خارج و از بالا تلقي شده‌اند. اين اصول كه نوعي «soft law» هستند، از سوي دانشگاهياني كه عضو احزاب سياسي و ارگان‌هاي حكومتي اروپايي نبودند، تنظيم و انتشار يافت. به همين جهت مي‌توانند همان كارايي «jus commune» را داشته باشند.

Among the documents on contract law, the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL) are the best result of the endeavors for the unification of European law in the realm of contract law. After expiration of a short time from its publication, the PECL find a suitable place in Europe and outside the Continent .The Principles have two important features: they contain the European legal tradition as well as respond the needs of modern world in the area of contract law. The PECL do not bind the courts. They can only work by their force of persuasion. They are treated as soft law which was drafted and published by academics who are not members of political parties and governmental organs. However, the main purpose of the European Principles is to serve as a first draft of a part of a European Civil Code. The PECL may also perform a function similar to that of the American Restatement of the Law of Contract, which was published in its second edition in 1981. The Restatement is a non-binding body of rules which purport to state the Common Law of contracts of the United States. It offers its rules to courts and arbitrators which need help and advice. It is part of the lex mercatoria. Keywords: the Principles of European Contract Law, Legal Tradition, Common Frame of Reference, Soft Law, Jus Commune, Aquis Communautaire.