This book adds an in-depth study of the law and practice on immorality of contracts in Europe to the Common Core series. It comprises country reports on 28 European legal systems, in line with the editors’ aspiration to give a comprehensive overview of shared and diverging views on immorality of contracts in the European Union. The reports have been drafted on the basis of 12 case scenarios, inspired by real-life cases that were adjudicated in European countries. Furthermore, given the importance of societal debate for the assessment of morality in contract law, significant attention is paid to the context in which the law on specific cases has developed. The combined insights from the national reports provide an overview of the current state of a “Common Core” on immoral contracts in Europe.

Comparative legal studies performed by a large network of academics from many different countries usually require many years of work and, indeed, a great deal of patience from all persons involved. This book, like most volumes in the Common Core series, is no exception to this rule. We presented a first draft questionnaire on immoral contracts – or, more precisely, on the limits to the validity of contracts on ground of morality or public policy – at the General Meeting of the Common Core project in 2012. After settling on the final version of the questionnaire, the first draft country reports were written between 2013–2015. The comparative remarks, the introductory chapters and the second and third drafts of the country reports were completed between 2016–2018. This past year was devoted to the final editing, updating and proofreading of the book.

We would like to express our deepest thanks to all national reporters and contributors for their enthusiasm and long-term commitment to this project, which did not provide any other remuneration but for the publication itself and the enjoyment of wonderful meetings in Turin, Gothenburg, Lecce, Palermo and Trento.

We are grateful to the general editors of the Common Core project, Mauro Bussani and Ugo Mattei, for their constant support, and to all participants to the annual meetings of the Contract Group for their valuable comments and suggestions.