1. Paul Varul Partner, Law Firm VARUL (Estonia)
Common Frame of Reference (CFR) and Common European Sales Law (CESL): Content and Practical Meaning (Introduction)
Paul Varul
Partner, Law Firm VARUL (Estonia)

2. Law Firm VARUL Established in 1994; Independent Baltic Law Firm
Nominated among top 4 Baltic law firms by The Lawyer (2012)
Offices:
In Estonia: Tallinn, Tartu 36 lawyers
In Latvia: Riga lawyers
In Lithuania: Vilnius lawyers
All major fields of law
Clients: Finland, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, USA

3. From European Civil Code to DCFR
Study Group on European Civil Code ( )
Contract Law
Non-contractual Obligations
Related fields of law

4. DCFR – Content (1/2) Title; abandoning ‘the code’
General part of the DCFR – PECL (formation, termination, representation, grounds of invalidity, performance, remedies for non-performance, plurality of parties, set-off, prescription)
Contracts (sales, lease of goods, services, mandate contracts, loan, commercial agency, franchise and distributorship, donation)

5. DCFR – Content (2/2)
Non-contractual Obligations (benevolent intervention in another’s affairs, torts, unjustified enrichment)
Related fields (transfer of movable property ownership, proprietary security rights in movable assets, personal security, trusts)

6. DCFR - Meaning Preliminary purpose: Common European Law
Principles, Definitions, Model Rules
Standard, model law for countries to develop their own national legislation
Demonstrates the level of legal thinking of European private law
Source for future development of European private law

7. DCFR – CIS Countries Model for CIS countries
Translation into Russian (July 2013)
Модельные правила Европейского частного права. Пер. с англ.; Науч. ред. Н. Ю. Рассказова. – Н.: Статут, 2013

8. European Common Sales Law
DCFR – CESL
Optional instrument
Second national law

9. CESL – Scope of Application
SME – SME (employees: less than 250; annual turnover: not exceeding EUR 50 million)
Business – SME
Business – consumer
SME – consumer
Distance contracts – digital content
Sale of goods (?)

10. CESL – Content General provisions (general principles, application)
Conclusion of contract; pre-contractual information
Interpretation, unfair terms, defects of consent
Obligations of parties
Remedies (requiring performance, termination, price reduction, withholding performance, damages, interest)
Restitution
Prescription

11. CESL and International Private Law
Uncovered areas – international private law
Plurality of parties, representation, assignment of claims, etc.

12. CESL – CIS Сountries Model law for drafting Application upon agreement
Equal legal position – applicable law
Protection of consumers

13. Thank you! paul.varul@varul.com riga@varul.com vilnius@varul.com