The French Civil Code after its bicentenary (2004–2023): Catching up with modernity

The French Civil Code, enacted in 1804 as the first major result of early 19th-century codification, has now reached a venerable age and is clearly in need of rejuvenation. The latest phase of this process of rejuvenation began in earnest in 2004, the bicentenary year of the code, under various pressures from forces of social and economic modernisation to influences of European community law, and the international human rights law as well. The modernisation of the code, a constant and perpetually ongoing process, has now resulted in the systematic renewal of its major components, such as the law of persons, family law, and the law of obligations (specifically that of contracts), in a process that ensures the progress of the ‘French civil constitution’.

Keywords: legal reforms, recodification, civil law, foundation of the legal system, dynamic and continuous adaptation.