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² See e.g. Friedman, , Law & Soc. Rev. Vol. 6, 1969, 19. According to Friedman, legal culture comprises “the values and attitudes which bind the system together. And which determine the place of the legal system in the culture of the society as a whole. What kind of training and habits do lawyers and judges have? What do people think of law? Do groups or individuals willingly go to court? For what purposes do people turn to lawyers; for what purposes do they make use of other officials and intermediaries? Is there respect for law, government and traditions? What is the relationship between class structure and the use and non-use of legal institutions? What informal social controls exist in addition to or in place of formal ones? Who prefers which kind of controls, and why?”Google Scholar

³ See e.g. §§ 859-937 of the Austrian ABGB, Artt. 1173-1469 of Italian codice civile, Artt. 1088-1314 of the Spanish Código Civil, and Artt. 1109-1369 of the French code civil or Artt. 3: 1–3: 326 of the Dutch Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek.Google Scholar

⁴ For the constitutional importance of predictability of law see Decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfGE) Vol. 60, pp. 253, 268: “Freedom requires the reliability of the legal system because freedom means above all the possibility to arrange one's own way of life. An essential condition for freedom is that circumstances and factors which may enduringly influence one's plans and their execution, particularly in the light of their governmental effects, must be foreseeable.”Google Scholar

⁵ For a thorough analysis of the development of European consumer law and ist perspectives see Micklitz, http://www.germanlawjournal.de/pdf/Vol04No10/PDF_Vol_04_No_10_1043-1064_European_Micklitz.pdf Google Scholar

⁶ For a critique and a possible solution see Kieninger/Leible, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 1999, 37, 39.Google Scholar

⁷ A shocking example is Art. 3 of EC Directive 2000/31 of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (Directive on electronic commerce), O.J. EC 2000 L 178/1, which was implemented by the “Gesetz über rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen für den elektronischen Geschäftsverkehr” (Bundesgesetzblatt (BGBl.) 2001 I, p. 3721) nearly unchanged into § 4 Teledienstegesetz (TDG). So that the discurs on principle of origin, its legal nature and its impact continues on the national level. For the principle of origin see Ahrens, Computer und Recht 2000, 835; Fallon/Meeusen, Revue critique de droit international privé Vol. 91, 2002, 435; Fezer/Koos, Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts 2000, 349; Grundmann, Rabels Zeitschrift für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht Vol. 67, 2003, 246; Halfmeier, Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht 2001, 837; Leible in Neue Entwicklungen in der Dienstleistungs- und Warenverkehrsfreiheit (Nordhausen ed., 2002), 71; Mankowski, Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft, Vol. 100, 2001, 137; Mankowski, Computer und Recht 2001, 630; Mankowski, Europäisches Wirtschafts- und Steuerrecht 2002, 401; Nickels, Der Betrieb 2001, 19; Ohly, Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht International 2001, 899; Sack, Wettbewerb in Recht und Praxis 2001, 1408; Spindler, Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik 2001, 203; Spindler, Zeitschrift für das gesamte Handelsrecht und Wirtschaftsrecht Vol. 165, 2001, 324; Spindler, Rabels Zeitschrift für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht Vol. 66, 2002, 633; Thünken, Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts, 2001, 15.Google Scholar

⁸ See e. g. Fernabsatzgesetz (BGBl. 2000 I, p.887), Verbraucherkreditgesetz (BGBl. 2000 I, p. 940), Gesetz über den Widerruf von Haustürgeschäften und ähnlichen Geschäften (BGBl. 2000 I, p. 955), Teilzeit-Wohnrechte-Gesetz (BGBl. 2000 I, p. 957), AGB-Gesetz (BGBl. 2000 I, p. 946).Google Scholar

⁹ For a survey see Reich/Micklitz, Europäisches Verbraucherrecht, 4th ed. (2003) Nr. 1.38-1.39; See moreover Medicus, Festschrift für Kitawaga (1992) 471; Pfeiffer in Rechtsangleichung und nationale Privatrechte (Schulte-Nölke/Schulze eds., 1999), 21 et seq.Google Scholar

¹⁰ E. g. Art. 2a of the Directive on standard terms in consumer contracts, Art. 2 No. 2 of the Directive on distance contracts, Art. 2 of the Directive on time sharing, Art. 1 (2a) of the Directive on sale of consumer goods and Art. 2d of the Directive concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services.Google Scholar

¹¹ Council Directive of 25 July 1985 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning liability for defective products (85/374/EEC), O.J. EC 1985 L 210/29. Amended by Council Directive 1999/34/EC of 10 May 1999 amending Council Directive 85/374/EEC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning liability for defective products, O.J. EC 1999 L 141/20.Google Scholar

¹² See Dreher, , Juristenzeitung 1997, 167; for a current resume of the critique of the concept of the consumer from a law and economics perspective see Haupt, http://www.germanlawjournal.de/pdf/Vol04No11/PDF_Vol_04_No_11_1137-1164_Private_Haupt.pdf Google Scholar

¹³ Reich, , Juristenzeitung 1997, 609.Google Scholar

¹⁴ Reich, /Micklitz, , Europäisches Verbraucherrecht, 4th ed. (2003) No. 1.38.Google Scholar

¹⁵ Kieninger/Leible (Note 5), 39.Google Scholar

¹⁶ Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts, O.J. EC 1997 L 144/19.Google Scholar

¹⁷ See Flume, , Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2000, 1427; Hensen, Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2000, 1151.Google Scholar

¹⁸ See also Bülow, /Artz, , Verbraucherprivatrecht (2003) 1 et seq.Google Scholar

¹⁹ For examples see Art. 5 of the Directive on door-to-door sales, Art. 5 of the Directive on time sharing, Art. 4 of the Directive concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services.Google Scholar

²⁰ See Art. 5 of the Directive on door-to-door sales, Art. 6 (1) of the Directive on distance contracts, Art. 5 No. 1 of the Directive on time sharing.Google Scholar

²¹ See, on the one hand, Art. 6 (1) of the Directive on distance contracts and, on the other, Art. 5 (1) of the Directive on door-to-door sales.Google Scholar

²² § 1 (1) HTWG and § 3 (1) FernAbsG.Google Scholar

²³ § 5 (1) TzWrGGoogle Scholar

²⁴ § 4 (1) 1 FernUSG.Google Scholar

²⁵ Art. 8 of the Directive on door-to-door sales, Art. 14 of the Directive on distance contracts, Art. 15 of the Directive on consumer credits; Art. 11 of the Directive on time-sharing.Google Scholar

²⁶ Art. 5 of the Directive on time sharing, Art. 6 (1) of the Directive on distance contracts.Google Scholar

²⁷ See e.g. the Directive on door-to-door sales.Google Scholar

²⁸ § 3 (1) 3 FernAbsG.Google Scholar

²⁹ § 7 (2) VerbrKrG.Google Scholar

³⁰ § 2 HTWG.Google Scholar

³¹ § 5 (2) 2 TzWrG.Google Scholar

³² See BT-Drs. 14/6040, p. 198.Google Scholar

³³ ECJ (2001) I-09945 – Heininger; see Calliess, 3 German Law Journal No. 8–01 August 2002 (http://www.germanlawjournal.com/past_issues.php?id=175)Google Scholar

³⁴ BT-Drs. 14/9266, p. 45; critical of the decision of the legislator Wildemann, Verbraucher und Recht 2003, 90, 91.Google Scholar

³⁵ Moreover Art. 6 (2) of the Directive on unfair terms in consumer contracts, Art. 8 of the Directive on time sharing, Art. 8 (1) of the Directive on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods, Art. 11 No. 3 of the Directive concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services.Google Scholar

³⁶ See Leible in Rechtsangleichung und nationale Privatrechte (Schulte-Nölke/Schulze eds., 1999) 353, 368 et seq.Google Scholar

³⁷ BGBl. 1986 II, pp. 810 et seq.Google Scholar

³⁸ Freitag/Leible, Zitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 1999, 1296, 1297.Google Scholar

³⁹ See § 12 AGBG in the version of 29 June 2000 and see also Mankowski, Betriebs-Berater, 1999, 1225; Rühl, Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft 1999, 321; Staudinger, Artikel 6 Abs. 2 der Klauselrichtlinie und § 12 AGBG (1998); Furthermore § 8 TzWrG in the version of 29 June 2000 and see Otte, Rabels Zeitschrift für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht Vol. 62, 1998, 405; Wegener, Internationaler Verbraucherschutz beim Abschluß von Timesharingverträgen: § 8 Teilzeitwohnrechtegesetz (1998).Google Scholar

⁴⁰ For Art. 29a EGBGB see Freitag/Leible, Europäisches Wirtschafts-und Steuerrecht 2000, 342; Paefgen, Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht 2003, 266, 275 et seq.; Rusche, Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts 2001, 420; Staudinger, Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft 2000, 416; Wagner, Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts 2000, 249; Wegner, Verbraucher und Recht 2000, 227.Google Scholar

⁴¹ See Freitag/Leible, Europäisches Wirtschafts- und Steuerrecht 2000, 342.Google Scholar

⁴² See as well Micklitz, http://www.germanlawjournal.de/pdf/Vol04No10/PDF_Vol_04_No_10_1043-1064_European_Micklitz.pdf Google Scholar

⁴³ COM (2002) 654 final; see also Leible (ed.), Green paper on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (probably 2003).Google Scholar

⁴⁴ For a proposal see Leible in Rechtsangleichung und nationale Privatrechte (Schulte-Nölke/Schulze eds., 1999) 353, 368 et seq.; See furthermore Basedow in Internationales Verbraucherschutzrecht (Schnyder/Heiss/Rudisch eds., 1995), 11, 34; Lurger in Die internationale Dimension des Rechts (Terlitza/Schwarzenegger/Borić eds., 1996) 179, 202.Google Scholar

⁴⁵ COM (2001) 398 final = inset of Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht Vol. 16, 2001. See Grundmann, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift 2002, 393; Leible, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaft- und Steuerrecht 2001, 471; Schulte-Nölke, Juristenzeitung 2001, 917; Schwintowski, Juristenzeitung 2002, 205; Sonnenberger, Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft 2002, 489; Staudenmayer, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2001, 485; Staudenmayer, European review of public law 2002, 249; Staudenmayer, The international and comparative law quarterly Vol. 51, 2002, 673; Staudinger, Verbraucher und Recht 2001, 353; von Bar/Lando/Swann, European review of public law 2002, 183.Google Scholar

⁴⁶ EC Directive 97/7 of 20 May 1997 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts – Statement by the Council and the Parliament re Article 6 (1), O.J. EC 1997 L 144/27.Google Scholar

⁴⁷ Leible, , Europäisches Wirtschaft- und Steuerrecht 2001, 471, 476.Google Scholar

⁴⁸ See supra, note 3.Google Scholar

⁴⁹ O.J. EC (2002) L 31/1.Google Scholar

⁵⁰ See COM (2000) 716 final, reasons 4-5.Google Scholar

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⁵⁴ COM (2003) 68 final, p. 19.Google Scholar

⁵⁵ COM (2003) 68 final, p. 20.Google Scholar

⁵⁶ First Council Directive of 9 March 1968 on co-ordination of safeguards which, for the protection of the interests of members and others, are required by Member States of companies within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty, with a view to making such safeguards equivalent throughout the Community (68/151/EEC),O.J. EC 1968 L 65/8.Google Scholar

⁵⁷ See Art. 3 (6) of the Publicity Directive.Google Scholar

⁵⁸ See Art. 1 of the Publicity Directive.Google Scholar

⁵⁹ Schmidt, K., Handelsrecht, 5th ed. (1999), § 14 III 2 c (pp. 407–408.).Google Scholar

⁶⁰ Fourth Council Directive of 25 July 1978 based on Article 54 (3) (g) of the Treaty on the annual accounts of certain types of companies (78/660/EEC), O.J. EC 1978 L 222/11. The Directive has been changed a few times in the meantime. A corrected version can be found in Habersack, Europäisches Gesellschaftsrecht, 2. ed. (2003), No. 315.Google Scholar

⁶¹ See for more examples e. g. Hennrichs, Zeitschrift für Unternehmens- und Gesellschaftsrecht 1997, 66; Furthermore, the trade balance, as it is to be prepared under Community standards, also is relevant for the taxbalance under German law, see ECJ C-306/99, Slg. 2003, I-000 paragraph 78 et seq. – BIAO.Google Scholar

⁶² EC Directive 97/5 of 27 January 1997 of the European Parliament and of the Council on cross-border credit transfers, O.J. EC 1997 L 43/25.Google Scholar

⁶³ Art. 1 of the Directive on cross-border credit transfers.Google Scholar

⁶⁴ §§ 676a-676c BGB; for the reasons of the legislator see BT-Drs. 14/745, p. 9.Google Scholar

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⁶⁶ §§ 312-312f (Special ways of distribution), 355-359 (Right to revoke and to return), 474-479 (Sale of consumer goods), 491–507 (Consumer credits), 655a-655e (Contracts on loan brokerage) BGB.Google Scholar

⁶⁷ See e. g. the control of inclusion of terms in the contract under §§ 305 (2)–305c BGB or the prohibition of certain clauses under §§ 308-309 BGB.Google Scholar

⁶⁸ E.g. § 286 (3) 1 BGB under which the debtor of a payment fails to pay if he does not perform within 30 days after due rate and entry of the invoice. Whether or not he is a consumer does not matter.Google Scholar

⁶⁹ See for the terminology, Hommelhoff in 50 Jahre Bundesgerichtshof. Festgabe der Wissenschaft (Canaris/Heldrich/Hopt/Roxin/Schmidt/Widmaier eds., 2000) 889, 915.Google Scholar

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⁷⁵ ECJ (1997) I-4161, p. 4202, paragraph 33 – Leur-Bloem.Google Scholar

⁷⁶ See Habersack, , Europäisches Gesellschaftsrecht, 1st. ed. (1999), paragraph 211 (now differently Habersack, Europäisches Gesellschaftsrecht, 2nd. ed. (2003), paragraph 211); in favor of an obligation W.-H. Roth in 50 Jahre Bundesgerichtshof. Festgabe der Wissenschaft (Canaris/Heldrich/Hopt/Roxin/Schmidt/Widmaier (eds., 2000), pp. 847, 885; similar Wassermeyer, in Festschrift für Lutter (Schneider/Hommelhof/Schmidt/Timm/Grunewald/Drygala eds., 2000) 1633 (regarding the law on balance sheets); in contrast left open by Habersack/Mayer, 1999 Juristenzeitung 913, 919.Google Scholar

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⁷⁸ In contrary, Roth in 50 Jahre Bundesgerichtshof. Festgabe der Wissenschaft (Canaris/Heldrich/Hopt/Roxin/Schmidt/Widmaier eds., 2000), 847, 884 (footnote 216).Google Scholar

⁷⁹ See e. g. the Directive on sale of consumer goods which was implemented in the Boek 7 (Bijzondere Overeenkomsten) of the Burgerlijk Wetboek.Google Scholar

⁸⁰ See the Spanish Ley General para la defensa de los consumidores y usuarios, the French Code de la Consommation or the Austrian Konsumentenschutzgesetz.Google Scholar

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⁸⁶ See BR-Drs.301/03, and Sack, Betriebsberater 2003, 1073–1081.Google Scholar