Vers un droit européen du contrat d'assurance. Le «Project Group Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law

As early as 1979, the EEC made an attempt to harmonize insurance contract law. After the failure of its proposal of directive, the Commission opted for a mere harmonization of supervisory law and private international law in the insurance sector. However, in view of the particular nature of the insurance contract, it became clear that the desired gradual harmonization of national insurance contract laws could not be realized even 25 years later. Thus, the chosen approach is considered to have failed by many today. The European legislator's failure to act stimulated the creation of a Project Group "Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law," which was founded by the late Fritz Reichert-Facilides in Innsbruck (Austria). This purely academic initiative gathers some twenty professors of insurance contract law from 15 European countries, who, since 1998, work on a model law harmonizing the mandatory provisions of insurance contract law. The project group's efforts link up with recent initiatives of the Commission and the E.S.E.C., aiming at harmonizing contract law in general and insurance contract law in particular. Hence, the project group is entrusted with the elaboration of a proposal for a Common Frame of Reference in the field of insurance contract law within the broader framework of the Joint Network on European Private Law, which was established by the Commission in 2005. Thus, the project group's work can contribute to promoting the approximation and unification of national insurance contract laws in Europe. Résumé:Dès 1979, la C.E.E. a entrepris d'harmoniser le droit du contrat d'assurance. Après l'échec de son projet de directive, la Commission a alors opté pour la seule harmonisation du droit de surveillance et du droit international privé en la matière. Cependant, il est apparu que - notamment en raison de la spécificité du contrat d'assurance - le rapprochement progressif des lois nationales régissant le contrat d'assurance, comme visé par la Commission, ne s'est pas réalisé même un quart de siècle plus tard. Ainsi, beaucoup sont d'avis qu'entre-temps cette approche s'est révélée être un échec. La carence du législateur européen a stimulé la création d'un Project Group Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law fondé par Fritz Reichert-Facilides à Innsbruck (Autriche). Actuellement, cette initiative à caractère purement universitaire réunit une vingtaine de professeurs de droit du contrat d'assurance, venant de 15 États européens. Depuis