SISTEMUL FORFETAR DE REPARARE A PREJUDICIULUI MORATORIU – O ALEGERE POTRIVITÃ?

According to art. 1088, paragraph 1 of the Romanian Civil Code (in force, “For obligations having as object any amount, damages for performance shall comprise only the legal interest, except for the special rules regarding trade, guarantees and companies”. The author criticizes this regulation that actually leads, in numerous situations, to damaging the creditor, if the maximum interest limit is lower than the amount of the damage caused by failure to perform or late performance of the obligation to pay an amount, showing that the above-mentioned legal solution, taken from the French Civil Code, is not presently provided in the Italian, German, Swiss and English systems. Moreover, the new Romanian Civil Code, published in July 2009, but not yet effective, stipulates (in art. 1535, paragraph 3) that, if the interest due (for failure to perform the pecuniary obligation in due time) does not cover the entire damage incurred, the creditor shall be entitled, in addition, to damages for any additional damage incurred due to debtor’s failure to perform the obligation. In the end, the author considers that the regulation of the possibility for reduction of damages by the court would not be opportune – at present – in Romania.