Th e Position of Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises in European Contract Law
Editors:
Marco B.M. Loos Ilse Samoy
Th e Position of Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises in European Contract Law
Ius Commune Europaeum
ISBN 978-1-78068-194-8 D/2014/7849/51
NUR 822
© 2014 Intersentia
Cambridge – Antwerp – Portland
www.intersentia.com | www.intersentia.co.uk
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy, microfi lm or any other means, without written premission from the publisher.
Marco B.M. Loos and Ilse Samoy (eds.)
Th e Position of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in European Contract Law
Intersentia Publishing Ltd
Trinity House | Cambridge Business Park | Cowley Road Cambridge | CB4 0WZ | United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 1223 393 753 | Email: mail@intersentia.co.uk
v CONTENTS
Th e Position of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in European Contract Law: An Introduction
Marco B.M. Loos and Ilse Samoy ... 1
1. Introduction: the development of a consumer policy ... 1
2. Protection of other parties lacking bargaining power? ... 2
3. Recognition of the position of weaker commercial parties in European B2B contract law ... 3
4. Th e Draft Common Frame of Reference and the proposal for a Common European Sales Law ... 6
5. A brief description of the papers in this book ... 7
Chapter 1. SMEs in the Common European Sales Law Fernando Dias Simões ... 9
1. Th e importance of SMEs for the European Market ... 9
1.1. SMEs and transaction costs ... 9
1.2. SMEs as the weaker party ... 11
2. Th e personal scope of application of the Proposal ... 12
3. Does the Proposal protect the interests of SMEs? ... 15
3.1. Th e reduction of transaction costs ... 15
3.2. SMEs as the weaker party: from mandatory rules to standard contract terms ... 19
4. Th e development of ‘European model contract terms’ ... 22
5. Final remarks ... 23
Chapter 2. Can the Common European Sales Law do without the defi nition of an SME? Sonja Kruisinga ... 27
1. Introduction ... 27
2. Background of the Regulation on CESL ... 28
3. Th e defi nition of an SME in the Regulation on CESL ... 30
3.1. Defi ning an SME ... 30
vi
Contents
3.2. Questions which were left unanswered concerning the defi nition
of an SME ... 32
4. A comparison: the defi nitions of small and large enterprises in private law in the Netherlands ... 35
4.1. Large companies within the meaning of Article 6:235(1) of the Netherlands Civil Code ... 35
4.2. Large companies within the meaning of Articles 2:153 and 263 of the Netherlands Civil Code ... 37
5. Concluding remarks... 39
Chapter 3. A Consumer Law for Professionals: Radical Innovation or Consolidation of National Practices? Pieter Brulez ... 41
1. Protecting the weaker party through detailed legislation... 44
1.1. No detailed legislation specifi cally designed for B2B transactions... 44
1.2. Extending the consumer notion ... 46
1.3. Criticism ... 50
2. Protection through general principles ... 52
2.1. Good faith, fair dealing and mutual cooperation ... 52
2.2. Good faith in the pre-contractual stage ... 56
2.3. Good faith in the contractual stage ... 60
3. P.CESL accepts procedural fairness and contextualization in a B2B context ... 68
Chapter 4. Th e CESL and its Unfair Terms Protection for SMEs Josse Klijnsma ... 73
1. Introduction ... 73
2. Th e case for unfair terms protection for SMEs ... 74
2.1. An internal market argument ... 74
2.2. A weaker party protection argument ... 76
3. Unfair terms protection for SMEs in the CESL ... 77
3.1. Defi nition of the consumer and mixed contracts ... 78
3.2. Th e unfairness test of Article 86 CESL ... 79
4. An autonomous interpretation as the way forward? ... 80
Chapter 5. Unfair Terms in Contracts Between Businesses A Comparative Overview in Light of the Common European Sales Law Sander Van Loock ... 83
1. Introduction ... 83
2. SMEs as a novel concept in European contract law ... 85
2.1. Defi nition ... 86
2.2. Criticism ... 87
3. Th eory of unfair contract terms ... 88
3.1. Benefi ts and risks of standard terms ... 88
vii
Contents
3.2. Justifi cation of judicial control ... 90
3.2.1. Abuse of bargaining power ... 90
3.2.2. Transaction costs... 92
4. Conceptual analysis of unfair terms... 94
4.1. European Union: Unfair Contract Terms Directive, DCFR and CESL ... 94
4.1.1. Unfair Contract Terms Directive ... 94
4.1.2. DCFR ... 95
4.1.3. CESL ... 95
4.2. Germany ... 96
4.2.1. Standard terms ... 96
4.2.2. Individually negotiated terms (im Einzelnen ausgehandelt) ... 99
4.3. Th e Netherlands ... 101
4.4. France ... 101
4.5. Belgium ... 103
4.6. United Kingdom ... 104
4.7. Conclusion ... 105
5. Judicial control ... 106
5.1. European Union: Unfair Contract Terms Directive, DCFR and CESL ... 106
5.1.1. Unfair Contract Terms Directive ... 106
5.1.2. DCFR ... 107
5.1.3. CESL ... 108
5.2. Germany ... 109
5.2.1. Content of the judicial control ... 109
5.2.2. Diff erentiations ... 112
5.2.3. Indizwirkung ... 113
5.2.4. Criticism ... 114
5.3. Th e Netherlands ... 117
5.4. France ... 120
5.4.1. Consumer law and B2B contracts ... 120
5.4.2. Modern developments and perspectives ... 122
5.5. Belgium ... 125
5.5.1. B2C contracts ... 125
5.5.2. B2B contracts ... 125
5.6. United Kingdom ... 128
5.6.1. Reasonableness test ... 129
5.6.2. Dealing as consumer ... 131
5.6.3. Recommendations of the Law Commissions... 132
5.7. Conclusion ... 133
6. Conclusion ... 135
viii
Contents
Chapter 6. Harmonisation of Rules on Business-to-Business Marketing Practices: A Critical Analysis of the MCAD Report
Bert Keirsbilck ... 137
1. Th e current European law on unfair commercial practices ... 137
1.1. UCPD ... 137
1.2. MCAD ... 141
1.3. Critical analysis of the dualistic approach ... 142
1.4. Consultation on the MCAD ... 143
2. Possible options for the further harmonisation of rules on business- to-business practices ... 144
2.1. Minor revision of the MCAD ... 145
2.2. Substantial revision of the MCAD so as to mirror the UCPD ... 151
2.3. Substantial revision of the UCPD so as to integrate the MCAD... 151
2.4. Maintaining the status quo ... 157
3. Conclusion and epilogue on the need and desirability of harmonisation of rules concerning unfair business-to-business trading practices ... 157
