European Union Property Law

Eveline Ramaekers (1985) studied law at the European Law School, Maastricht University (LL.B., LL.M. cum laude). She obtained her doctoral degree from Maastricht University in April 2013. She has been a visiting researcher and lecturer in Munster, Stellenbosch and at the China-EU School of Law in Beijing. Eveline co-founded the Young Property Lawyers Forum, a network for young property law researchers. She currently holds a post as Fellow and Tutor in Law at Wadham College, Oxford.

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND METHOD OF THE STUDY Introduction 1. Reasons for the Development of Property Law by the European Union 1.1. The Relationship between Free Movement Law and Property Law 1.1.1. Free Movement of Goods 1.1.2. Free Movement of Capital 1.1.3. Free Movement of Services 1.1.4. Free Movement of Persons 1.2. Harmonization of other Areas of Private Law 1.3. Summary 2. The Acquis Method: Defining EU Property Law 2.1. Delimiting the Field of Law and Defining its Concepts: the Role of Comparative Research in the Acquis Method 2.1.1. The Comparative Method as Developed by the CJEU 2.2. The Selection of EU Legislation and Case Law for the Acquis Analysis 2.2.1. Defining Property Law: Introducing the System-Cube 2.2.2. The System of Property Rights: a Three-Dimensional Model 2.2.3. Practical Application of the System-Cube 2.2.3.1. A Right of Usufruct 2.2.3.2. A Non-Possessory Right of Pledge on an Incorporeal Object 2.2.3.3. Security Rights in Relation to Corporeal Objects 2.2.3.4. Right of Ownership of Emission Rights 2.2.3.5. Timeshare of Immovable Property 2.2.4. The System-Cube applied to English Law 2.2.4.1. Common Law and Equity 2.2.4.2. Trusts 2.2.5. Summary 3. Linguistic Problems: the Method of the Court of Justice of the European Union 3.1. The Semantic Approach and the Contextual Approach Conclusion CHAPTER 2: PROPERTY LAW AND THE INTERNAL MARKET Introduction 1. Cross-border or Purely Internal Situation? 2. Horizontal or Vertical Relationships 3. Free Movement of Goods 3.1. Definition of 'Goods' 3.2. Mutual Recognition of Property Rights? 3.3. Classifying the Measure: from Keck to Trailers 3.3.1. A de Minimis Requirement in Free Movement of Goods? 3.4. Obstacles to the Free Movement of Goods: the Case of Krantz 3.4.1. Facts of the Case 3.4.2. Arguments of the parties 3.4.3. Opinion of Advocate-General Darmon 3.4.4. Judgment of the Court 3.4.5. The Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods: Loss of Property Right and Increase in Costs 3.5. The Effect of the Free Movement of Goods on National Property Law 4. Free Movement of Capital 4.1. What Constitutes a Capital Movement? 4.2. Discrimination or Market Access Test: a de Minimis Requirement in Free Movement of Capital? 4.3. Obstacles to the Free Movement of Capital 4.4. The Effect of the Free Movement of Capital on National Property Law 5. Free Movement of Services 5.1. Directive 2006/48/EC 5.2. Discrimination or Market Access Test: a de Minimis Requirement in Free Movement of Services? 5.3. Obstacles to the Free Movement of Services 5.4. The Effect of the Free Movement of Services on National Property Law 6. Free Movement of Persons 6.1. Discrimination or Market Access Test: a de Minimis Requirement in Free Movement of Persons? 6.2. Obstacles to the Free Movement of Persons 6.3. The Effect of the Free Movement of Persons on National Property Law 7. Justification Grounds 7.1. Proportionality Conclusion CHAPTER 3: THE EU'S COMPETENCE TO REGULATE PROPERTY LAW Introduction - The Relationship between European Law and Property Law 1. Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 2. Methodology of the CJEU 3. Interpretation of Article 345 TFEU 3.1. Linguistics: Prejudice, Prejudge or Preclude? 3.2. History of the Article: Relating to Undertakings or not? 3.2.1. Article 345 TFEU as seen from the Point of View of Property Law 3.2.2. Private or Public Property Law? 3.3. 'The Treaties' to which Article 345 TFEU Refers 3.4. Combining the Above: a Possible Interpretation of Article 345 TFEU 4. Article 345 TFEU in EU Legislative Work 5. Interpretation of Article 345 TFEU by the Court of Justice of the European Union 6. Article 345 TFEU in the Debate on Privatizations and Nationalizations 7. Preliminary Conclusions 8. Legal Basis 8.1. Subsidiarity and Proportionality Final conclusions CHAPTER 4: SUBSTANTIVE PROPERTY LAW AND PROPERTY LAW TERMINOLOGY IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EU LAW Introduction Part I - Substantive European Union Property Law 1. Direct EU Property Law 1.1. Regulation 650/2012/EU on International Successions 1.2. Regulation 207/2009/EC on the Community Trade Mark (codified version) and Regulation 6/2002/EC on Community Designs 1.3. Regulation 1346/2000/EC on Insolvency Proceedings 1.4. Directive 2008/48/EC on Credit Agreements for Consumers 1.5. Directive 2006/112/EC on the Common System of Value Added Tax 1.6. Directive 2002/47/EC on Financial Collateral Arrangements 1.7. Directive 2000/35/EC on Combating Late Payments in Commercial Transactions 1.8. Directive 93/7/EEC on the Return of Stolen Cultural Objects 2. Indirect EU Property Law 2.1. Regulation 881/2002/EC Imposing certain Specific Restrictive Measures Directed against certain Persons and Entities Associated with Usama bin Laden, the Al-Qaida Network and the Taliban 2.2. Directive 2003/87/EC Establishing a Scheme for Greenhouse Gas Emission 2.3. Natura 2000 2.4. Directive 93/13/EEC on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts 2.5. Directive 85/577/EEC on Contracts Negotiated away from Business Premises ('doorstep selling directive') Part II - Terminology 3. Searching for Property Law Terms 3.1. Language of the Search 3.2. TEU and TFEU 4. Defined Property Law Terms 4.1. Right in Re(m)/Real Right/Personal Right 4.2. Property/Assets/Things/Objects 4.3. Possessor/Possession 4.4. Transfer/Convey/Assign/Cession 5. Undefined Property Law Terms 5.1. Owner/Ownership/Proprietor 5.1.1. Retention of Title/Reservation of Ownership 5.2. Interest in/Title to 5.3. Tenure/Tenancy 5.4. Estate/Fee Simple/Freehold/Leasehold 5.5. Trust/Beneficiary 5.6. Numerus Clausus and Limited Property Rights 5.6.1. Security Rights 5.7. Movable/Immovable 5.8. Tangible/Corporeal 5.9. Lex Rei Sitae Conclusion CHAPTER 5: OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION PROPERTY LAW Introduction 1. Explanation of Terms 2. The Commission's 2010 Green Paper 3. EU Private International Law - Changing the Lex Rei Sitae? 3.1. Alternatives to the Lex Rei Sitae Rule 3.1.1. Lex Registrationis 3.1.2. Lex Destinationis 3.1.3. Lex Contractus 3.1.4. Choice of Applicable Property Law 3.1.5. Mutual Recognition and Country of Origin Principle 3.2. Preliminary Conclusions 4. Cross-Border or Purely Internal Situations 5. Non-Binding Options 5.1. Inter-Institutional Agreement on a 'Toolbox' for European Property Law 5.2. Legal Basis 6. Optional Instrument 6.1. Legal Basis 6.2. Regulation or Directive 6.3. Opt-In or Opt-Out 6.4. Optional Instrument and Regulatory Competition 6.5. Preliminary Conclusions - an Optional Instrument for EU Property Law? 7. Binding Instrument 7.1. Legal Basis 7.2. Regulation or Directive 7.2.1. Minimum or Maximum, Partial or Full Harmonization 7.3. European Civil Code 8. International Agreement 8.1. Enhanced Cooperation 9. Harmonization through Case Law Final Conclusions CHAPTER 6: A FRAMEWORK FOR EUROPEAN UNION PROPERTY LAW Introduction Part I - Status Quo of EU Property Law 1. The System-Cube 1.1. Dimension One: Content of Property Rights 1.2. Dimension Two: Objects of Property Rights 1.3. Dimension Three: Time 2. The Operating System 2.1. Creation 2.2. Transfer 2.3. Registration 2.4. Destruction 2.5. Third Party Effects Concluding Remarks to Part I Part II - Where to? 3. An Optional Instrument for EU Property Law 3.1. Legal Basis Revisited 3.2. Advantages of an Optional Instrument 3.3. Interpretation of the Optional Instrument 4. Operating Rules and Definition of Terms 4.1. Operating Rules 4.2. Definition of Terms 5. EU Property Rights 5.1. European Primary Right 5.1.1. Ownership in the Euratom Treaty 5.2. European Security Right 5.2.1. Past Proposals and Existing Cross-Border Security Rights 5.2.2. Characteristics of the European Security Right 5.2.2.1. Possessory or Non-Possessory Security Right 5.2.2.2. For what Type of Objects? 5.2.2.3. General or Specific Security Right 5.2.2.4. Accessory or Non-Accessory Security Right 5.2.2.5. Registration 5.3. European Use Right 5.3.1. Content of the Right 5.3.2. Time-Limit 5.3.3. For what Type of Objects? 5.3.4. General or Specific Use Right 6. The Place of Private International Law in the Optional Instrument Concluding Remarks to Part II ANNEX TO CHAPTER 4: TERMINOLOGY SAMENVATTING BIBLIOGRAPHY CURRICULUM VITAE