Tradición romanística y perspectivas de reforma en sede de cláusula penal

The author analyses the legal treatment of the penalty clause into Spanish Civil Law, with special attention to the regulation offered by the Civil Code in their articles 1152 to 1155, the differents functions which the penalty clause achieves and the differentiated regulation into Fuero Nuevo of Navarra in the Lex 518. All of this can be seen as a reflection of the dualism in Spanish Legal System between the Common Civil Law (represented by the Spanish Civil Code) and the Foral or Special Law (represented by differents regionals compilations). The regulation of the Spanish civil code sets as general rule the contractual penalty as substitute of the regime of compensation into the article 1101 of spanish Civil Code in case of breach of contract or in case of defective or untimely performance by the debtor. This provision allows to the creditor to avoid a real damage assessment, so that the penalty clause lets a advanced estimate of damages without needing to prove them. But also admits the regulation of the penalty clause into the spanish Civil Code other functions, for instance the cumulative penalty (with the legal and previously valued compensation of damages or with the specific performance). This regulation, unchanged since the enactment of the spanish Civil Code, has been object of special attention by the preliminary draft to modernisation of the law of obligations drawn up by the Commission of Codification of the Ministry of Justice in 2009, picking up some of the guidelines present in other European Civil Codes as well as in the contributions of prestigiouses scholars, which are expression of the effort aimed at the harmonisation of European Contract Law. El autor analiza el tratamiento legal de la cláusula penal en el Derecho civil español, con especial atención a la regulación que ofrece el Código civil en los artículos 1152 a 1154, las diferentes funciones que la cláusula penal cumple y el distinto régimen presente en la Lex 518 del Fuero Nuevo de Navarra, lo cual evidencia el dualismo habido en el sistema jurídico español entre el Derecho civil común (representado por el Código civil) y el derecho foral o especial (representado por distintas compilaciones de ámbito regional). La regulación del Código civil español configura la pena contractual en primer término como sustitutiva de la indemnización de daños y perjuicios prevista en el artículo 1101 del Código civil para el caso de incumplimiento contractual o para los supuestos de cumplimiento deficiente o tardío por parte del deudor. De este modo, se dispensa al acreedor de tener que recurrir a una valoración del daño efectivamente causado, de modo que la cláusula penal viene a ser una estimación anticipada del daño que sustrae al acreedor de la prueba de su existencia. Esta regulación, que se ha mantenido invariable desde la promulgación del Código civil, ha sido objeto de especial atención por parte del Anteproyecto de Modernización del Derecho de Obligaciones elaborado por la Comisión de Codificación del Ministerio de Justicia en 2009, siguiendo las orientaciones presentes en otros Códigos civiles europeos así como las aportaciones de prestigiosos académicos, que son expresión del esfuerzo en pro de la armonización del Derecho contractual europeo.The author analyses the legal treatment of the penalty clause into Spanish Civil Law, with special attention to the regulation offered by the Civil Code in their articles 1152 to 1155, the differents functions which the penalty clause achieves and the differentiated regulation into Fuero Nuevo of Navarra in the Lex 518. All of this can be seen as a reflection of the dualism in Spanish Legal System between the Common Civil Law (represented by the Spanish Civil Code) and the Foral or Special Law (represented by differents regionals compilations). The regulation of the Spanish civil code sets as general rule the contractual penalty as substitute of the regime of compensation into the article 1101 of spanish Civil Code in case of breach of contract or in case of defective or untimely performance by the debtor. This provision allows to the creditor to avoid a real damage assessment, so that the penalty clause lets a advanced estimate of damages without needing to prove them. But also admits the regulation of the penalty clause into the spanish Civil Code other functions, for instance the cumulative penalty (with the legal and previously valued compensation of damages or with the specific performance). This regulation, unchanged since the enactment of the spanish Civil Code, has been object of special attention by the preliminary draft to modernisation of the law of obligations drawn up by the Commission of Codification of the Ministry of Justice in 2009, picking up some of the guidelines present in other European Civil Codes as well as in the contributions of prestigiouses scholars, which are expression of the effort aimed at the harmonisation of European Contract Law