Verbintenissenrecht

The law of obligations constitutes Book 6 of the Civil Code and governs the legal relationships in which one party is required to render performance to the other. Obligations may arise from a contract, a tort, negotiorum gestio or unjust enrichment.

This field of law is significant in that it underpins virtually all civil obligations arising in everyday legal dealings, such as payments, deliveries and liability for loss. Absent clear rules governing obligations, the enforcement of rights and duties between individuals and businesses would not be feasible.

In practice, the law of obligations is regularly invoked in disputes concerning breach of contract, claims for damages or non-performance, where the court determines whether an obligation has come into existence and whether it has been duly performed.