Prescription is a major legal defence that bars civil actions on the claim after the expiry of a certain period of time. Despite its far-reaching practical effects on litigation and on society at large, and the fact that it is the subject matter of pervasive legal reforms in many countries, the law of prescription (limitation of actions) is rarely discussed, analysed and compared. To meet this challenge, this book canvases in-depth the law of 15 selected jurisdictions (covering Europe, South Africa and the US jurisdictions) and extensively analyses in comparative perspective the elements of prescription (accrual of the cause of action, prescription periods, rules of suspension, renewal, extension, etc), their interrelations, and the policy considerations (including economic analysis). Topics also covered include the notions of 'action', 'claim', and 'cause of action', subjective and objective prescription, statute interpretation and judicial discretion. The book concludes with how the present law can be improved and where suitable harmonised. While its main focus is the prescription of tort claims, the analysis, comparison and conclusions are highly relevant to most civil actions. Prescription in Tort Law is the result of a three-year research project lead by the European Group on Tort Law (EGTL) that brings together leading academics of the field. It is an invaluable resource for private lawyers. With contributions by Bjarte Askeland (Bergen Appeal Court Judge, Norway), Ewa Baginska (University of Gdansk, Poland), Jean-Sébastien Borghetti (University Paris II Panthéon-Assas, France), Giovanni Comandé (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy), Eugenia Dacoronia (University of Athens, Greece), Isabelle Durant (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium), Israel Gilead (Hebrew University, Israel), Michael D Green (Wake Forest University, United States), Ernst Karner (University of Vienna, Austria), Anne LM Keirse (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), Bernhard A Koch (University of Innsbruck, Austria), Frédéric Krauskopf (University of Bern, Switzerland), Ulrich Magnus (University of Hamburg, Germany), Miquel Martín-Casals (University of Girona, Spain), Johann Neethling (University of the Free State, South Africa), Elena Occhipinti (University of Pisa, Italy), Ken Oliphant (University of Bristol, United Kingdom), Albert Ruda (University of Girona, Spain), Stefan Rutten (University of Antwerp), Luboš Tichý (Charles University, Czech Republic) and Bénédict Winiger (University of Geneva, Switzerland). ISRAEL GILEAD is Bora Laskin (Emeritus) Professor of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he was Dean of the Faculty of Law between 1999 and 2002. Since 2016, he has been a Professor and Head of the Advanced Legal Studies program at The Academic Center for Law and Sciences, as well as Head of the committee in charge of social sciences, law and business administration at the Israeli Council of Higher Education. Israel is a Member of the European Group on Tort Law and of the American Law Institute and is the author of numerous publications on tort law, law and economics, prescription and corporate law. BJARTE ASKELAND is an Appeal Court Judge in Gulating lagmannsrett, Bergen, Norway and a Professor of Law at the University of Bergen. He is a Member of European Group of Tort Law and author of numerous monographs and articles on tort law.

Thirty years after the entry into force of the Directive on liability for defective products (Council Directive 85/374/EEC), and in the light of the threat to user safety posed by consumer goods that make use of new technologies, it is essential to assess and determine whether the Directive remains an adequate legal response to the phenomenon of products brought to market that fail to ensure appropriate levels of safety for their users.European Product Liability is the result of an extensive international research project funded by the Polish National Science Centre. It brings together experienced scholars associated with the European Group on Tort Law (EGTL) and the European Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (Acquis Group). Individual country reports analyse the implementation of the Directive in the domestic law of several EU and EEA Member States (namely Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland) and the relationship of the implemented rules with the already existing rules of tort law. The country reports show that the practical significance of product liability differs widely in the various Member States. Also taking into account non-EU countries (Canada, Israel, South Africa and the USA), this book examines whether EU law will ensure sufficient safety for individuals using goods that have been produced using new technologies that are currently under development, such as major advances in mechatronics, nanotechnology, regenerative medicine and contour crafting. Together with an economic analysis of product liability it makes the book valuable for academics, practitioners, policy makers and all those interested in the subject.

In recent decades, the liability of public authorities has been one of the main areas of development in and at the edges of tort law in Europe, with major reforms implemented or considered at a national level, and a steady stream of major court decisions. During the same period, 'Member State liability' has also been recognised in the law of the EU, and the interplay of principles of national and EU law - and additionally the 'just satisfaction' jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights - evidently warrants close attention.In this context, the aims of the present study are to contribute to the understanding of the law of extra-contractual liability as it applies to public authorities in the legal systems of Europe (and selected non-European jurisdictions), to facilitate its enhancement where necessary or desirable, and to consider the possibilities for harmonisation in the area - specifically, through the extension and adaptation of the Principles of European Tort Law to cover public authority liability.With contributions by:Bjarte Askeland, Ewa Baginska, Jonathan Cardi, Giovanni Comand�, Eugenia Dacoronia, Jef de Mot, Isabelle Durant, Duncan Fairgrieve, Michael Faure, Israel Gilead, Michael D Green, Anne Keirse, Bernhard A Koch, Fran�ois Lich�re, Piotr Machnikowski, Ulrich Magnus, Miquel Mart�n-Casals, Johann Neethling, Luca Nocco, Ken Oliphant, Maria Jos� Reis Rangel de Mesquita, Jordi Ribot, Lubo� Tich�, Vibe Ulfbeck, Pierre Widmer, B�n�dict Winiger.About the editor:Ken Oliphant is a Professor of Tort Law at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.