Rights and Relations within the European Union Law

Traditional private law regulated by National civil codes is based on a patrimonial and individualistic vision of juridical relationships. In the second half of the 20th century, codifi cation as a way to regulate private law was subject to several critical phenomena, such as the 'constitutionalisation' and internationalisation of individual rights. Moreover, another event has changed the destiny of the European continent and, in particular, the vision of law: the building of the European Union legal system. Such political and legal processes have been changing the traditional notions concerning private law, building a transnational legal system based on EU principles and values (e.g. the freedom of movement and solidarity), in which individual rights and statuses, family law, contracts, obligations and other private law relations are instrumental for the supranational objectives. The changes in the private law paradigms arise from the European Union's normative actions but also are put in place by the new role of the judges, scholars and other legal interpreters.