L’avant-projet français de réforme du droit des obligations et de la prescription: présentation générale
Authors: Fauvarque-Cosson Bénédicte 
Published: April 2022

Summary: The Livre III, Titre III of the French Civil Code ‘Des contrats ou des obligations conventionnelles en général’ has remained practically as it stood in 1804. Recently, a project for a major reform of the law of obligations and prescription (of the Code civil) was formed by some French academics, and the idea was strongly supported by the former President Jacques Chirac, on the occasion of commemoration of the bicentenary of the Code civil. The ‘Avant-projet de réforme de droit des obligations et de la prescription’ was achieved by a committee of 36, mainly professors of law, under the intellectual sponsorship of the Association Capitant and the presidency of Professor Pierre Catala (hence its second name: «Avant-projet Catala»). A distinct team was set up for tort law, chaired by Professors Geneviève Viney and GeorgesDurry and for the law of prescription (Professor PhilippeMalaurie).

In order to understand why such a sudden move was made, suffice it to recall the vivid debate which took place in France on the possibility of a European civil code. This debate has awakened the feeling that something had to be done in order to modernize our law of obligations. Moreover, a broad diffusion in France of the Principles of European Contract Law has helped the French to realize that many convergences and similarities already exist between our law of contracts and the work of the Lando Commission.Therefore, the aim of the working group was not only to restore the place of the Code civil inside French law – the law of obligations, such as it stands in that code, must constitute the jus commune – but also outside France where it has lost a great part of its prestige.

The avant-projet starts with Article 1101 and terminates at Article 1386, just as the Code civil currently does. There were 296 articles in the Code civil (ten were added since 1804); there are 488 of them in the Avant-projet. The innovations are numerous and the overall structure has greatly improved. Yet, for all of these innnovations, a great tribute is still paid to tradition. For instance, the French concept of cause survives fierce criticism and the power of the judges to adapt the contract in case of a major change of circumstances is rejected (Art. 1135-1 et seq.).

An impressive work has been achieved. A number of consultations have taken place among practitioners and enterprises. It is hoped that this Avant-projet will soon lead to a major reform of the French law of obligations and prescription.

Zusammenfassung: Das Buch III, Abschnitt III des französischen Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuchs mit der Überschrift ‘Des contrats ou des obligations conventionnelles en général’ ist im Grundsatz seit 1804 unverändert geblieben. Zur Gelegenheit des zweihundertjährigen Jubileums des Code Civil wurde kürzlich ein Projekt zur grundsätzlichen Reformierung des Schuldrechts sowie des Verjährungsrechts (des Code Civil) durch einige französische Rechtswissenschaftler gegründet, welches durch den ehemaligen Präsidenten Jacques Chirac sehr unterstützt wurde. Das ‘Avant-projet de réforme de droit des obligations et de la prescription’ wurde durch eine Kommission von 36 Mitgliedern ausgeführt, die sich hauptsächlich aus Professoren der Rechtswissenschaften zusammensetzte, von der Association Capitant gesponsort wurde und von Prof. Pierre Catala vorgesessen wurde (deshalb war ihr zwe