Law of France

Law Of France

In academic terms, French law can be divided into two main categories: private or judicial law ("droit privé") and public law ("droit public").

Judicial law includes, in particular:

• civil law ("droit civil"); and
• criminal law ("droit pénal").

Public law includes, in particular:

• administrative law ("droit administratif"); and
• constitutional law ("droit constitutionnel").

Together, in practical terms, these four areas of law (civil, criminal, administrative and constitutional) constitute the major part of French law.

The announcement in November 2005 by the European Commission that, on the basis of powers recognised in a recent European Court of Justice ("ECJ") ruling, it intends to create a dozen or so European Union ("EU") criminal offences suggests that one should also now consider EU law ("droit communautaire", sometimes referred to, less accurately, as "droit européen") as a new and distinct area of law in France (akin to the "federal laws" that apply across States of the US, on top of their own State law), and not simply a group of rules which influence the content of France's civil, criminal, administrative and constitutional law.