Contract law in Europe

Performance is the focus of the contract because it is the act of fulfilling the contracted obligation. In its simplest form, this involves one side supplying goods or services and the other side paying for them according to the terms of the contract.

Establishing performance of obligations in a European contract

Where a contract is for a straightforward supply of a product in return for money, establishing performance is usually simple. However, in more complex contracts, the two sides could dispute performance. For example, in contracts such as those supplying goods or services over a period, with staged payments.

Chapter seven of the Principles of European Contract Law explains how parties can specify performance in the contract terms. These include:

• the place
• time and order of performance
• the type and form of payment
• what happens if one side refuses to accept what the other side provides