The Impact of the Principles of European Tort Law (PETL) in Spanish Case Law by Miquel Martín-Casals* Abstract: Since 2007 the Spanish Supreme Court has quoted the Principles of European Tort Law (PETL) several times in its decisions. Lower Courts have followed suit, quoting the PETL in at least 25 decisions, sometimes following previous decisions of the Supreme Court, sometimes independently. The paper analyses which provisions have been quoted by the Spanish Supreme Court and lower courts and what consequences have emerged. (2010) 1 JETL 306 ‘Le résultat des travaux du Groupe européen du droit de la responsabilité civile (European Group on Tort Law) a été présenté en mai 2005. Les principes retenus combinent les différentes approches anglo-saxonne, allemande et française . . . [C]es principes du droit européen de la responsabilité civile ne constituent qu’une contribution doctrinale à l’unification des législations nationales et, s’ils influencent les réflexions sur le sujet, ils n’ont reçu nulle part une quelconque application.’ ‘The results of the work of the Groupe européen du droit de la responsabilité civile (European Group on Tort Law) were presented in May 2005. The principles adopted combine the different approaches of common law, German and French systems... [T]hese Principles of European Tort Law are merely a scholarly contribution to the unification of national laws and, even though they may influence thought on the subject, they have nowhere actually been applied.’ Report presented to the French Senate in July 2009** I. The reception of the Principles of European Tort Law in Spanish case law Over the last 120 years, the Spanish Civil Code, passed in 1889, has undergone frequent amendments. However, Book IVof the Code, dealing with the Law of Obligations, has not been reformed in depth since it was enacted. In order to * Professor of Civil Law, Institute of European and Comparative Private Law, University of Girona (Spain) and Member of the European Group on Tort Law. The author wishes to express his indebtedness to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for the award of the FFI2008-00647 R&D grant. ** Rapport d’information fait au nom de la commission des lois constitutionnelles, de légis- lation, du suffrage universel, du Règlement et d’administration générale par le groupe de travail relatif à la responsabilité civile, par MM Alain Anziani et Laurent Béteille, Sénateurs (no 558, Sénat, Session Extraordinaire de 2008–2009, enregistré à la Présidence du Sénat le 15 juillet 2009), 32, available online at <http://www.senat.fr/rap/r08-558/ r08-5581.pdf> (accessed 11 September 2010). Brought to you by | University of Iowa Libraries Authenticated Download Date | 5/27/15 5:38 AM