Tort Law In Belgium

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book provides ready access to how the legal dimension of prevention against harm and loss allocation is treated in Belgium. This traditional branch of law not only tackles questions which concern every lawyer, whatever his legal expertise, but also concerns each person’s most fundamental rights on a worldwide scale. Following a general introduction that probes the distinction between tort and crime and the relationship between tort and contract, the monograph describes how the concepts of fault and unlawfulness, and of duty of care and negligence, are dealt with in both the legislature and the courts. The book then proceeds to cover specific cases of liability, such as professional liability, liability of public bodies, abuse of rights, injury to reputation and privacy, vicarious liability, liability of parents and teachers, liability for handicapped persons, product liability, environmental liability, and liability connected with road and traffic accidents. Principles of causation, grounds of justification, limitations on recovery, assessment of damages and compensation, and the role of private insurance and social security are all closely considered. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable resource for lawyers Belgium. Academics and researchers will also welcome this very useful guide, and will appreciate its value not only as a contribution to comparative law but also as a stimulus to harmonization of the rules on tort.

Covers various European countries, Israel, South Africa, and the United States.

This introduction, now in its second completely revised and upgraded edition, is the ideal overview of Belgian law for foreign lawyers. It identifies the basic legal sources, institutions and concepts of Belgian law. It offers an up to date, state of the art systematic and critical rendition of the principal branches of the law as practised, and it provides the necessary historical background and theoretical framing. The book consists of sixteen chapters, covering all major fields of Belgian law including constitutional and administrative law, procedural law, criminal law, family law and trusts and estates, property, contracts and torts, commercial transactions and company law, labour and social security law, tax law and conflicts of laws, and offering in depth studies of the general features of the Belgian legal system and legal culture. Every contribution is written by a generally recognized expert in this particular field of law. The authors cover the legislation at the different levels, guiding the reader through the multi-layered governance in the complicated federal structure of Belgium within the European Union, and pay ample attention to the reality of legal practice in court cases. Each chapter concludes with a very useful bibliography of works in both official languages (French and Dutch). Where available, basic works in English are listed. The book is written for a diversified, primarily non-Belgian readership including practising lawyers, business people, government officials, academic researchers and students interested in a reliable overview of Belgian law and institutions as a starting point for their research or inquiries. Marc Kruithof is a law professor at Ghent University. He holds a PhD in Law, as well as Licentiates in Law and in Economics, from Ghent University, and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School. Walter De Bondt is an emeritus professor at Ghent University and at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He holds a PhD in Law as well as a Licentiate in Law from Ghent University, and a Master of Laws from UC Berkeley.

The goal of this study is to provide a general overview and thorough analysis of how the European Court of Human Rights deals with tort law issues such as damage, causation, wrongfulness and fault, the protective purpose of rules, remedies and the reduction of damages when applying art 41 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). These issues have been examined on the basis of a comprehensive selection and detailed analysis of the Court’s judgments and the results compared with different European legal systems (Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey), EC Tort Law and the Principles of European Tort Law. The introduction of art 41 (ex art 50) ECHR in 1950 as a compromise and the issues it raises now, the methodological approaches to the tort law of the ECHR, the perspectives of human rights and tort law and public international law as well as the question of whether the reparation awarded to victims of ECHR violations can be considered real ‘just’ satisfaction are addressed in five special reports (two of which are also available in German). Concluding remarks try to summarise the outcome.

Against the background of the creation of an EU-wide frame of reference for private law relevant to the Common Market, this study, which was requested by the EU Commission, analyses the dovetailing between contract and tort law on the one hand, and between contract and property law on the other. The study examines the legal orders of almost all the Member States of the EU, illustrates the differences between contractual and non-contractual liability and evaluates the different systems of the transfer of property, of movable and immovable securities as well as trust law. The study comes to the conclusion that the intensive considerations on the creation of a model-law in the area of European private law do not allow these thoughts to be limited to contract law. Such a limitation to the scope of the regarding of this area would probably cause more problems than it would solve, or at any rate not do justice to the needs of the Common Market.

The goal of this study is to provide a general overview and thorough analysis of how the European Court of Human Rights deals with tort law issues such as damage, causation, wrongfulness and fault, the protective purpose of rules, remedies and the reduction of damages when applying art 41 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). These issues have been examined on the basis of a comprehensive selection and detailed analysis of the Court's judgments and the results compared with different European legal systems (Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey), EC Tort Law and the Principles of European Tort Law. The introduction of art 41 (ex art 50) ECHR in 1950 as a compromise and the issues it raises now, the methodological approaches to the tort law of the ECHR, the perspectives of human rights and tort law and public international law as well as the question of whether the reparation awarded to victims of ECHR violations can be considered real 'just' satisfaction are addressed in five special reports (two of which are also available in German). Concluding remarks try to summarise the outcome.

Foreword by Mr. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs. Belgium hosts numerous diplomatic missions. These are either accredited to the Kingdom of Belgium or to one of the international organisations headquartered in Belgium. Their operation, as well as the legal status and privileges and immunities of their members, are essentially regulated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, dated 18 April 1961. This handbook describes Belgium’s practice vis-à-vis these missions, and analyses the day-to-day implementation of the Vienna Convention by the various Belgian authorities. It systematically reviews the limited number of legislative or regulatory provisions, the Government’s practice – set out inter alia in several ‘circular notes’ communicated to the missions present in Belgium – and, additionally, identifies the jurisprudence of courts and tribunals and highlights the possible deviations from the practice of the executive branch. Designed as a guide intended primarily for diplomatic missions established in Belgium, this handbook is also relevant for civil servants, judges, lawyers and bailiffs encountering questions of diplomatic law in Belgium, as well as for students and researchers seeking information on national practice in this area of law.