Providing a comprehensive, documented, bird's-eye view of the current state of European private law, and looks to the lessons that can be learned from 40 years of legislative experience on the European level. Areas covered include European company law, general commercial law, intellectual property, consumer protection, labour law, and private international law. After examining the various schools of thought criticizing or supporting European legislation or codification, the concludes by proposing a model based on a ""slender concept"" of European private law limited to border-crossing transactions and acts.