CROBECO

1. CROBECO Different Perspectives

2. Different Perspectives • I. Introduction • Different perspectives • Technical (land registrars) • Formal (notaries, solicitors) • Economic (EU services market) • Blurring of functions • From form to substance

3. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (1) • Traditionally: Focus on local (national) law • Land (physical property) as a person’s most valuable asset • Private international law: Lexreisitae

4. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (2) • Four important developments (a): • De-physicalisation of property • Contractualisation of property law • Example: securitisation

5. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (3) • Four important developments (b): • The rise of Information Technology (Internet) • Economic integration and the resulting • Mobilisation of persons, services, goods and capital • Legal integration (positive and negative)

6. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (4) • The rise of Internet (1) • EULIS (www.eulis.eu) • Intensifying cooperation through ELRA (www.elra.eu) • E-Justice Portal (e-justice.europa.eu) • Cooperation with European notariats: www.successions-europe.eu

7. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (5) • The rise of Internet (2) • Access to data creates a desire to make these data productive, particularly in light of the growing mobility • More freely available general information will result in a decreasing need to obtain information from specialists

8. Different Perspectives • II. Land registration – From national to international (6) • The rise of Internet (3) • Risk: Too much information available or incapable of evaluating specific needs • Specialists (notaries, solicitors and land registrars) are still necessary, not because of a specific formal role, but because of their expert knowledge and experience

9. Different Perspectives • III. Economic integration (1) • EU, EEA and EFTA • The “economic constitution” of the EU • Classical liberal freedoms (contract, property, profession and education, business type) • The “four freedoms” of the internal market: persons, services, goods and capital

10. Different Perspectives • III. Economicintegration (2) • Freedom of establishment results in freedom of services andcapital • The existence of the Euro-zonereinforcesthisprocess • European economicintegration: anautonomousprocess?

11. Different Perspectives • III. Economic integration (3) • Freedom to provide services • Who is a service provider? • Notaries • Solicitors • Land registrars

12. Different Perspectives • III. Economic integration (4) • Freedom of capital • Role of capital providers (especially banks) • Euro-mortgage (eurobonds?)

13. Different Perspectives • IV. The EU legal map (1) • Major legal traditions • Continental law (various subtraditions) • Common law • Mixed legal systems • Conveyancing experts • Notaries, solicitors, land registrars

14. Different Perspectives • IV. The EU legal map (2) • Although legal diversity exists, still a common framework: • Leading principles and ground rules • Coveyancing experts act in the interest of parties and the general public (preserving the correctness of the land registry)

15. Different Perspectives • IV. The EU legal map (3) • (Draft) Common Frame of Reference (now: Draft EU Sales Law) • EU mortgage law • EU private international law (sales law, matrimonial property, succession) • Full faith and credit of deeds?

16. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (1) • Purpose: promote cross border transfer of land and cross border creation of mortgages • Developing protocols, checklists, multilingual deeds, standard clauses; promoting secure electronic deeds traffic • Perhaps: add databases with relevant local information?

17. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (2) • Project is of a technical nature and is not aimed at changing national law or the role of conveyancing experts, but intends to • Make the available information accessible and usable for cross-border transfers • Is the result of the combined impact of IT and economic integration

18. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (3) • Deed must be valid in all relevant jurisdictions • Taking into account differences in • Transfer systems (consensual/”traditio”, causal/abstract) • Land registration sytems

19. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (4): • Different laws may apply to the conveyancing process (a) • Sale • Choice of law (Rome I) • Culpa in contrahendo (Rome II) • Jurisdictionandenforcement (Brussels I)

20. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (5) • Different laws may apply to the conveyancing process (b) • Transfer/Mortgage: • Lex rei sitae • Culpa in contrahendo • Jurisdiction and enforcement

21. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (6) • Different laws may apply to the conveyancing process (c) • Lex rei sitae as “loi d’application universelle”? • Does the lex rei sitae discard the freedom of parties to choose the applicable law? • Does the lex rei sitae thus violate EU law?

22. Different Perspectives • V. CROBECO (7) • Different laws may apply to the transfer process (d) • Role of conveyancing experts • Responsibility (deontology) • Liability regimes

23. Different Perspectives • VI. Concluding remarks • Information technology and economic integration result in a changing view on the role of conveyancing experts • Formal roles become less important: Relevant are knowledge and experience • Continuing cooperation between the various conceyancing experts is therefore a conditio sine qua non in the interests of parties and the public at large • Knowledge of national law is still of enormous importance, but also a basic understanding of EU law, p.i.l. and of (neighbouring) legal systems