From the Nation State to the Market: The evolution of EU private law

The State exists to deliver security and welfare to citizens. One of the principal functions of the State is to enhance welfare through the production of legal regimes. Law contributes to welfare in many ways, one of which is in its contacts with markets. In this chapter, we trace the evolution of the role of law in the private sphere, with special attention to EU law. Our thesis is that the State is in a process of evolution from a Nation State to a Market State. Looking at private law confirms this evolution.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. [269722]