Enforced Performance in Kind in the Modern Civil Law System: A Study of the Reformed French Civil Code
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Abstract
The doctrine of enforced performance in kind (or specific performance) has long stood as a cornerstone of private law within the civil law tradition. However, the increasing complexity of modern contractual relationships has exposed the rigidities of this doctrine. Civil law jurisdictions have thus been compelled to re-evaluate the fairness and reasonableness of the traditional doctrine of contractual enforcement, especially considering evolving social and economic needs. This study focuses on the reformed French Civil Code as a case study of an on-going trend among civil law jurisdictions in making their approach to contractual enforcement more consistent to the context of the modern world while preserving the core principles of the tradition.
The 2018 reform of the French Civil Code illustrates shows the legislators’ intent to remain committed in the principle of contractual justice (la justice contractuelle) by aligning the law of contract and obligations with the needs of a modern society – in which contract has assumed an important role as a tool for private ordering – without discarding the French Civil Code’s ideals of supporting the freedom of contract along with the protection of a weaker party. Notably, it incorporates the principle of proportionality and the doctrine of imprevisión (changed circumstances) as limitations on
a creditor’s right to enforce performance. These changes signify a broader civil law trend: recognizing that the creditor’s ability to demand strict performance must be tempered by considerations of fairness, allowing the defaulting party more excuses to eschew the promised performance.
The study recommends that the Thai law of obligations should undergo
a similar reform to ensure that the Thai law remains flexible and fair for the weaker party. Legislators should incorporate the doctrines of proportionality and changed circumstances (imprevisión) to reflect modern expectations of equity and balance in contractual relations – without sacrificing the foundational values of the law of contract and obligations, namely legal certainty and freedom of contract.
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