The Concept of Non-Contractual Obligations

II. Distinguishing contractual and non-contractual obligations 
Yet, the focus of this article is not on these three fundamental ideas of non-
contractual obligations but rather on the prior idea of non-contractual obligations 
being fundamentally different from contract law. This idea, too, may at first sight 
appear naïve. True, all European systems distinguish in some sense contractual 
from non-contractual obligations. Yet, is it not basic knowledge for comparative 
lawyers that there is no clear cut borderline between contract law on the one hand 
and tort law or the law of unjustified enrichment on the other hand, because lines 
are drawn divergently in the different legal systems? Liability for misstatements and 
21
N Jansen
, Die Korrektur grundloser Vermögensverschiebungen als Restitution? Zur Lehre von der 
ungerechtfertigten Bereicherung bei Savigny (2003) 120 SavZ/Rom 106–162; 
id
, Duties and Rights in 
Negligence: A Comparative and Historical Perspective on the European Law of Extracontractual 
Liability (2004) 24 OJLS 443–469; 
id
, in: M Schmoeckel/J Rückert/R Zimmermann (eds), Historisch-
kritischer Kommentar zum BGB (HKK) vol II (2007) §§ 249–253, 255, [16] ff. 
22
See 
PS Atiyah
,
 
The Damages Lottery (1997); 
G Calabresi
, The Costs of Accidents (1970). Further 
references in 
G Wagner
, Grundstrukturen des Europäischen Deliktsrechts, in: R Zimmermann (ed), 
Grundstrukturen des Europäischen Deliktsrechts (2003) 189, 305 ff, 324 ff. 
23
Cf for this principle 
H Koziol
, Grundfragen (fn 8) 3 f; HKK/
Jansen 
(fn 21) §§ 249–253, 255,

17

f, 

21

, 

27

, 

39

. 
24
See 
van Gerven/Lever/Larouche
(fn 2) 76. This is also true for French law, where such questions 
are discussed under the heading of fault, causation, or damage; see 
J Carbonnier
, Droit Civil,
 
vol 4: 
Les Obligations (22nd edn 2000), before [199

ff (damage), [213] ff, [217] (causation). 

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6 
other kinds
 
of pre-contractual fault is a classical example.
25
Whereas such cases 
normally lead to delictual or tortious liability under French
26
and common law,
27
they are classified as (pre-)contractual under German law (
culpa in contrahendo
,