Committees and Task Forces
The work of the Coordinating Group is supported by:- several standing Committees
- Task Forces created on an ad hoc basis for a limited purpose.
Committees and Task Forces are responsible for assisting in matters of content or style. Each has the task of making recommendations to the Working Teams and the Coordinating Group.
The work of the Committees relates to matters of presentation and formulation and affects the breadth of the principles.
The work of Task Forces relates to matters of substance which transverse a number of distinct areas of private law allocated to different Working Teams.
Drafting Committee
Joint chairs: Profs. Hugh Beale and Christina Ramberg
Other members: Profs. Jacques Ghestin, Peter Schlechtriem and Sophie Stijns.
Function: To ensure clarity and consistency in the drafting of the principles, in particular-
(i) matters of style, format and approach in drafting the common principles;
(ii) the interrelation of principles in different parts of the code and the overall coherence of the texts; and
(iii) the use of definitions, rules of interpretation and rules of general application.
Terminology Committee
Members: Profs. Eric Clive and Lena Sisula-Tulokas
Function: To make recommendations as to the use of legal and other terms to promote internal consistency and avoid ambiguity in the principles.
Structure Committee
Chair: Prof. Johnny Herre
Other members: Profs. Christian von Bar, Carlo Castronovo, Eric Clive, Marie Goré, Matthias Storme
Function: To recommend an appropriate structure for and arrangement of the principles as a composite set of rules.
Task Force on E-Commerce
Chair: Prof. Christina Ramberg
Other members: Profs. Hector MacQueen and Mathias Storme; Dr Marco Loos
Function: To recommend additional rules and alterations to rules in the principles of the Study Group and the Commission on European Contract Law as appear necessary to facilitate and take account of the special needs and features of e-commerce.
Task Force on Consumers and Professionals
Chair: Prof. Johnny Herre
Other members: Profs. Guido Alpa and Ewoud Hondius
Function: To recommend notions of the consumer and the professional to assist the formulation of definitions and rules where such discrimination is required.
This Task Force has completed its work. The results can be downloaded from our "Texts" page.
Task Force on Unsconscionable Clauses
Chair: Prof. Hesselink
Function: To make recommendations regarding the regulation of unconscionable contractual terms and arrangements.
This Task Force has not yet commenced work.
