The law of contract in South African affords parties the freedom to enter into a contract and who they wish to enter with. The general requirements for a legally enforceable contract are consent, good faith, and the sanctity of contract. The contractual freedom of parties also offers them freedom to choose the terms of their contract. Part of these terms is the freedom to incorporate exemption clauses in contracts. An exemption clause is a waiver of liability or the apportionment of risk in the event of an occurrence materialising as defined in the contract. Exemption clauses have become the norm rather than the exception and parties must therefore expect a contract to contain an exemption clause, albeit unfair. Until recently, there was no legislation that declared exemption clauses as unfair. The Consumer Protection Act is South Africa's first legislative regulation on unfair contract terms and the waiver of liability. The Act does not address the contractual freedom of parties to incorporate exemption clauses and whether they will be unenforceable in the light of section 48. The Act cannot be implemented without considering the freedom of contract to rely on exemption clauses. A literature study will be undertaken in order to establish the influence of section 48 of the Consumer Protection Act on South African law of contract and exemption clauses. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The law of contract in South African affords parties the freedom to enter into a contract and who they wish to enter with. The general requirements for a legally enforceable contract are consent, good faith, and the sanctity of contract. The contractual freedom of parties also offers them freedom to choose the terms of their contract. Part of these terms is the freedom to incorporate exemption clauses in contracts. An exemption clause is a waiver of liability or the apportionment of risk in the event of an occurrence materialising as defined in the contract. Exemption clauses have become the norm rather than the exception and parties must therefore expect a contract to contain an exemption clause, albeit unfair. Until recently, there was no legislation that declared exemption clauses as unfair. The Consumer Protection Act is South Africa's first legislative regulation on unfair contract terms and the waiver of liability. The Act does not address the contractual freedom of parties to incorporate exemption clauses and whether they will be unenforceable in the light of section 48. The Act cannot be implemented without considering the freedom of contract to rely on exemption clauses. A literature study will be undertaken in order to establish the influence of section 48 of the Consumer Protection Act on South African law of contract and exemption clauses. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

L'Acte uniforme sur le droit des sociétés commerciales présente une particularité. En effet, le principe de sécurité juridique s'y trouve consacré à travers l'article 2, lequel fait des dispositions de l'Acte uniforme autant de dispositions d'ordre public. Cependant, l'absence de définition légale d'une telle notion est susceptible de générer quelques difficultés en raison de sa nature de standard juridique, sauf à considérer que l'ordre public doive être davantage perçu comme une technique de mise en oeuvre du droit. Pourtant, force est de constater qu'il s'agit d'une notion qui concourt à remplir l'impératif de sécurité juridique poursuivi par le législateur OHADA au sein de l'Acte uniforme sur le droit des sociétés commerciales, assurant ainsi son attractivité économique. A ce propos, traiter de la question de la liberté contractuelle dans l'Acte uniforme sur le droit des sociétés commerciales conduit nécessairement à mettre en lumière le paradoxe qui résulte de la lecture positive que l'on peut avoir de l'ordre public à travers l'article 2 au regard des finalités poursuivies par le législateur OHADA. Car, en tentant de répondre à l'impératif de sécurité juridique et à l'exigence d'attractivité économique, c'est la garantie de l'exercice de la liberté contractuelle qui se trouve assurée par ricochet. Ce qui nous conduit à étudier in fine comment l'ordre public tel qu'édicté assure la protection de la liberté contractuelle, de sorte à ce qu'ordre public et liberté contractuelle deviennent des notions non plus à opposer, mais à concilier. / The Uniform Act on Commercial Companies is a special case. Indeed, the principle of legal certainty is recognized through the article 2, which makes the provisions of the Uniform Act as many public policy provisions. However, the lack of legal definition of such a concept is likely to cause some difficulties due to its nature of legal standard, except considering that public policy should rather be viewed as a law implementation technique. Though, it is clear this is a concept that helps to fulfill the requirement of legal certainty pursued by the OHADA legislator in the Uniform Act on Commercial Companies, ensuring thereby its economic attractiveness.In this regard, addressing the issue of contractual freedom in the Uniform Act on Commercial companies necessarily leads to highlight the paradox that results from the positive understanding that one can have of public order through the article 2 in view of the purposes persued by the OHADA legislator. Because, in attempting to meet the requirement of legal certainty and the requirement of economic attractiveness, it is the guarantee of the exercise of contractual freedom which is ensured by ricochet. In the end, this leads us to consider how the public policy as enacted ensures the protection of contractual freedom, so that public policy and contractual freedom become notions either to oppose, but to reconcile.

Le financement des contrats de la commande publique est une question relevant dans une large mesure de la pratique contractuelle. L’impécuniosité des personnes publiques conduit cependant les acteurs de la commande publique à lui porter un intérêt grandissant. Cette étude se propose de rendre compte du mouvement de financiarisation affectant le droit des contrats de la commande publique et, en particulier, le droit des contrats immobiliers conclus par les personnes publiques. Elle met en évidence la flexibilité de la matière qui ne cesse de s’adapter à l’impératif de financement des opérations d’intérêt général. Cette préoccupation contribue à lui conférer certains caractères. Elle est par ailleurs susceptible d’expliquer les choix du législateur. Cette tendance à l’adaptation est largement confirmée par les récents textes européens et nationaux portant réforme des contrats de la commande publique. Elle révèle toutefois certaines incohérences du droit positif qu’il est utile de mettre en évidence dans un contexte de codification du droit de la commande publique. / The funding for public procurement contracts is a pertinent question in the practice of contract law. Impecuniosity of public entities is driving a growing interest in public procurement law legislation.This study aims to report and account for the trend of financialisation how it affects public procurement law and, in particular, real estate law concluded by the public sector. Furthermore, this study highlights the flexible nature of the aforementioned legislations, which continuously adapt to the financial needs of the common good. This adaptation is an occurrence which implies certain traits regarding the process of financialisation. Moreover, this study may help to explain choices made by legislators.The phenomenon of economic adaptation is widely confirmed by recent European and national texts proposing reform of public procurement contract law.Nevertheless this report reveals certain inconsistencies in positive law, which is valuable to emphasize in the context of codification of public procurement legislation.

Droit de propriété et liberté contractuelle fondent le droit pour tout propriétaire de choisir la personne à laquelle il souhaite, le cas échéant, vendre son bien. Il est pourtant des hypothèses où le législateur a accordé d’autorité à certaines personnes un droit de préemption qui leur permet d’être préférées à d’autres lors de la conclusion du contrat de vente. Cela étant, le droit de préemption demeure une institution mal connue et discutée. En effet, le législateur a institué de très nombreux droits de préemption en fonction de ses ambitions politiques, en dotant chacun d’eux d’un régime juridique spécifique. Le fait qu’il ne se soit guère préoccupé de conférer une quelconque cohérence à cet ensemble génère de nombreux conflits entre droits de préemption ou entre un droit de préemption et une autre institution juridique. Par ailleurs, l’intérêt général qui justifie le droit de préemption et exige que le domaine de celui-ci soit cantonné au strict nécessaire ainsi que l’octroi de garanties aux personnes concernées, ne dissuade pas le législateur de renforcer constamment l’emprise de cette institution. Ces données, qui illustrent les finalités du droit de préemption, influencent nécessairement la notion. Elles conduisent en effet à considérer que la prestation attendue du vendeur, à savoir proposer par priorité l’acquisition de son bien au bénéficiaire, constitue l’essence du droit de préemption. Le régime et l’effectivité de tous les droits de préemption reposent sur cette prestation. Il est alors possible de suggérer une nouvelle définition du droit de préemption et d’établir sa nature juridique à partir du droit des biens. Deux critères de délimitation du droit de préemption peuvent également être proposés, le premier reposant sur sa source légale, le second résultant de la détermination du moment de son intervention, ce qui n’est pas sans conséquence pratique. / Property right (jus proprietatis) and contractual freedom establish the right for every owner to choose the person to whom he may wish to sell his property. There are nevertheless hypotheses where the legislator granted to some persons, by his own authority, a right of pre-emption which allows them to be preferred to others when concluding the sale contract. Right of preemption remains, however, a badly known and controversial institution, as the legislator established a very great quantity of rights of preemption, according to his political ambitions, and endowed each of these rights of a specific legal regime. The fact that he hardly worried to confer on them any coherence generates many conflicts between rights of preemption, or between a right of preemption and another legal institution. Besides, general interest, which justifies right of preemption and requires that its domain be limited to strict minimum as well as the guarantees granted to the concerned persons, does not dissuade the legislator to strengthen constantly the influence of this institution. These data, which illustrate the purposes of right of preemption, do inevitably influence its notion : indeed, they lead to consider that the service expected from the seller, which is to propose by priority the acquisition of his property to the beneficiary, is constituting the basis of right of preemption. The regime and the effectiveness of all the rights of preemption are based upon that service. It becomes then possible to suggest a new definition of right of preemption and to establish its legal nature from property right. Two criteria of delimitation of right of preemption can be also proposed, the first one resting on its legal source, the second resulting from the determination of the moment of its intervention, which is not without practical consequence.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A pesquisa analisa a validade da cláusula de raio no aspecto do direito civil-empresarial (privado) e da concorrência (público). No âmbito do direito civil-empresarial analisa-se a cláusula de raio em conjunto com a cláusula de aluguel percentual e possível lesão à boa-fé objetiva. No aspecto do direito da concorrência é analisado o mercado relevante na dimensão produto e geográfica, bem como as externalidades positivas e negativas produzidas pela cláusula de raio. Para a realização da pesquisa adota-se o método dedutivo, realizado a partir de pesquisa bibliográfica e jurisprudencial sobre o tema. Traz como resultado os parâmetros que devem ser utilizados para a análise da cláusula de raio e a hipótese em que ela pode ser prevista. / This research analyses the validity of radius clause in the aspect of business and civil law (private) and free competition (public). Under the business and civil law aspect, it analyzes the radius clause with percentage rent clause and the probability to the lesion the general clause of objective good faith. In the aspect of free competition it analyses the product and geographic relevant market and also the positive and negative externalities produced by the radius clause. In this research it is adopted the deductive method, performed based on literature and case law research about the theme. It brings as result the parameters that should be used for the analyses of the radius clause and the hypothesis that it may be used.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A pesquisa analisa a validade da cláusula de raio no aspecto do direito civil-empresarial (privado) e da concorrência (público). No âmbito do direito civil-empresarial analisa-se a cláusula de raio em conjunto com a cláusula de aluguel percentual e possível lesão à boa-fé objetiva. No aspecto do direito da concorrência é analisado o mercado relevante na dimensão produto e geográfica, bem como as externalidades positivas e negativas produzidas pela cláusula de raio. Para a realização da pesquisa adota-se o método dedutivo, realizado a partir de pesquisa bibliográfica e jurisprudencial sobre o tema. Traz como resultado os parâmetros que devem ser utilizados para a análise da cláusula de raio e a hipótese em que ela pode ser prevista. / This research analyses the validity of radius clause in the aspect of business and civil law (private) and free competition (public). Under the business and civil law aspect, it analyzes the radius clause with percentage rent clause and the probability to the lesion the general clause of objective good faith. In the aspect of free competition it analyses the product and geographic relevant market and also the positive and negative externalities produced by the radius clause. In this research it is adopted the deductive method, performed based on literature and case law research about the theme. It brings as result the parameters that should be used for the analyses of the radius clause and the hypothesis that it may be used.

Refondation sociale, « sécurisation » des parcours professionnels, assouplissement des cas de recours au contrat à durée déterminée, « flexisécurité »… Tous les regards sont tournés vers le droit du travail. Sa rigidité prétendue est dénoncée comme un frein à l’emploi. En comparaison, le droit de la sécurité sociale attire peu l’attention. Il est pourtant d’une importance considérable. De meilleures relations entre les caisses de sécurité sociale et les entreprises seraient profitables à tous. Les entreprises se mueraient en partenaires des organismes sociaux. Des contrats conclus, pourrait naître une plus grande souplesse, gage de compétitivité. Longtemps repoussée, aujourd’hui inévitable, une refondation du système de protection sociale est envisagée. Le seuil des trois millions de chômeurs a été franchi tandis que les plans sociaux se multiplient. Les réflexions menées par le groupe de travail sur la compétitivité de l’économie française devront être croisées avec celles confiées au Haut conseil pour le financement de la protection sociale. La proposition de scenarii « pesant moins sur le travail » conditionne la pérennité de notre modèle social. / Social reorganisation, the « securing » of career paths, easing recourse toward fixed-term contracts, « flexisecurity »... All eyes are on labour law. Its supposed rigidity is denounced as a brake upon employment whereas social security law is paid little attention despite it being of considerable importance. Better relations between social security offices and employers would benefit everyone. Businesses would become partners of varying social organisations. Such agreements could give rise to greater flexibility and competitiveness. A reorganisation of the social security system, although postponed for a long time is now inevitable and is currently being considered. The threshold of three million unemployed has been reached while restructuring plans multiply. The reflections of the working group on the competitiveness of the French economy should be intersected with those entrusted to the High Council for the financing of social security. Proposing scenarios which «pose less risk to work » will determine the sustainability of our social security model.

La législation sur les clauses abusives, issue de l’article L. 132-1 du Code de la consommation, est d’application quotidienne. La notion de clause abusive n’en demeure pas moins confuse. Il est vrai que trente-cinq années d’applications erratiques ont contribué à la rendre peu accessible et peu prévisible, ce qui nuit à la sécurité juridique. Pour restaurer cette notion, une double démarche s’impose. Il faut, d’abord, la délimiter afin de réserver son application uniquement aux personnes qui méritent d’être protégées contre les clauses abusives et aux seules stipulations qui créent véritablement un déséquilibre significatif entre les droits et obligations des parties au contrat. La notion de clause abusive apparaît alors comme un mécanisme destiné à sanctionner les abus de la liberté contractuelle dans les contrats de consommation. Il faut, ensuite, procéder à l’identification de la notion de clause abusive en cherchant à définir et à caractériser le standard du déséquilibre significatif, notamment à l’aune des critères dégagés de la pratique. Chemin faisant, la notion de clause abusive s’impose comme une notion incontournable du droit de la consommation et, plus largement du droit des contrats, notamment en ce qu’elle participe au renouveau de la théorie générale du contrat. / The legislation on unfair terms set out by Article L. 132-1 of the French Consumer Code is applied on a daily basis. The notion of unfair terms nevertheless remains unclear. Thirty-five years of inconsistent and erratic application have indeed contributed to making this legislation inaccessible and difficult to predict, thereby damaging legal security. The reinforcement of this notion necessitates a two-pronged approach. First of all, the concept must be delimited in order to restrict application solely to those individuals requiring protection against unfair terms and only to those terms that genuinely do generate a material imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties to the contract. The notion of unfair terms then becomes a mechanism aimed at sanctioning abuses of contractual freedom in consumer agreements. The concept must then be identified, by seeking to define and characterize the standard of material imbalance, in particular against the yardstick of criteria generated by practical application. In doing so, the notion of unfair terms becomes a central notion of consumer law and, more widely, of contract law, in particular with regard to its participation in the renewal of general contract theory.

Les rapports qu‘entretiennent le droit commun et le droit maritime notamment le droit spécial des transports sont complexes, mais pleins d‘enseignement. Au coeur de cette dialectique, se trouve le contrat de transport maritime de marchandises lequel, s‘exécute dans un milieu qui n‘est pas naturel à l'homme : la mer. Alors que certains auteurs revendiquent son autonomie et, soulignent avec force que sa spécificité interdit de s‘en remettre au droit commun, d‘autres, en revanche, affirment qu‘il ne peut vivre sans ce dernier d'où il puise toute sa sève. Particularisme, autonomie, soumission, telles sont les expressions couramment utilisées pour caractériser cette relation sans que l‘on ne sache finalement, si le contrat de transport est dominé par la théorie générale du contrat ou détaché de celle-ci. La présente étude, permet d‘apporter une réponse claire à cette interrogation. La confrontation des deux ensembles de règles révèle une forte domination de la théorie générale du contrat sur le contrat de transport maritime de marchandises. En tant que contrat, celui-ci subit une influence naturelle du droit commun. En effet, par sa vocation subsidiaire récemment réaffirmée par le nouvel article 1105 du Code civil, le droit commun comble constamment les interstices laissés à l‘air libre par le contrat de transport, et, impulse une certaine cohérence à celui-ci. Cependant, sa domination sur le contrat de transport n‘est pas totale. Sur certains aspects en effet, ce dernier s‘affranchit de l‘emprise du droit commun afin de marquer une certaine originalité, mieux son particularisme. Celui-ci, se manifeste d‘une part, par certaines résistances du contrat de transport maritime au droit commun. Ou encore, par l‘inadaptation du droit commun à certaines situations créées par la pratique des transports maritimes. La notion de consentement ou encore la conception réduite de l‘effet relatif des contrats par exemple, ne permettent pas de prendre en considération toute la richesse et la singularité du contrat de transport maritime. La situation du destinataire quant à elle, défigure entièrement les conceptions classiques du droit des contrats. D‘autre part, ce particularisme se révèle par des règles et mécanismes propres au contrat de transport notamment au niveau du régime de responsabilité du transporteur. Comparable à un véritable statut, ce régime quasi-exclusif exerce une forte attraction sur toutes les actions intentées contre le transporteur, qu‘elles soient contractuelles ou délictuelles. Somme toute, le contrat transport n‘est ni entièrement soumis au droit commun, ni autonome. Il navigue en effet entre les deux. / The relations between ordinary law and maritime law notably special transport laws are complex, but full of teaching. At the heart of this dialectic is found the contract of maritime transport of merchandise, which is executed in a milieu that is not natural to man: the sea. While others claim its autonomy and stress with force that its speciality forbids its inclusion in ordinary law, others on the contrary, affirm that it cannot succeed without the latter, from which it draws all its essence. Particularity, autonomy, submission, are expressions currently used to characterise this relation, though at the end, we don‘t know if the transport contract is dominated by the general theory of the law of contract or is detached from it. This study helps to give a clear response to this worry. The confrontation of two sets of rules reveals a strong domination of the general theory of contract on the contract of maritime transport of goods. As a contract, the latter witnesses a natural influence of ordinary law. In effect, through its subsidiary vocation recently reaffirmed by the new article 1105 of the civil Code, ordinary law always fills the gaps left by the transport contract and instills a certain coherence in the latter. However, its domination on transport contract is not total. In fact, on certain aspects, the latter goes out of the sphere of ordinary law to instill in it some originality, better still, its particularity. This is manifested on the one hand, through some resistance of ordinary law by the contract of maritime transport. Or, the unsuited nature of ordinary law to certain situations created by the practice of maritime transport. The notion of consent or the diminished conception of the relative effects of contract for example, does not allow for the taking into consideration of all the richness and the singularity of the contract of maritime transport. The situation of the consignee entirely disfigures the classical conceptions of the law of contract. On the other hand, this particularity is revealed by rules and mechanisms specific to the contract of transport, notably at the level of the regime of liability of the transporter. Comparable to a veritable status, this quasi-exclusive regime exerts a strong attraction to all actions initiated against the carrier, whether they are contractual or tortuous. To sum up, the contract of transport is neither entirely subject to the ordinary law nor autonomous. It swings between the two.