Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3935/zpfz.75.3.5
Roman Legal Heritage and the Ideal of Coherence: Challenges of Consumer Sales in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Context of European Union Accession
Mirza Hebib
orcid.org/0000-0002-3571-6768
; University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Law, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Enida Dučić
orcid.org/0009-0001-7037-7175
; University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Law, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract
This paper examines the enduring influence of Roman legal heritage on contemporary private law, focusing specifically on the regulation of liability for material defects in consumer sales. By tracing the doctrinal lineage of remedies such as actio redhibitoria and actio quanti minoris, the analysis highlights their normative persistence and conceptual adaptation within both EU law and the legal system of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Particular attention is devoted to the evolution of the seller’s liability under Directive 1999/44/EC and its successor, Directive EU 2019/771, which codify a modernized framework of consumer rights while implicitly preserving Roman legal principles. The paper critically assesses the extent to which Bosnia and Herzegovina has harmonized its consumer protection regime with these European standards. Despite the formal transposition of the relevant directives, substantive alignment remains incomplete due to structural, interpretative, and institutional challenges. Adopting a historical-comparative approach, the paper argues that Roman legal concepts continue to offer valuable methodological tools for achieving greater legal coherence in the EU integration process, especially in jurisdictions such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, where normative fragmentation persists.
Keywords
Roman law; Roman legal tradition; contract law; consumer protection law; European Union; legal harmonization; Europeanization of law; Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hrčak ID:
337766
URI
Publication date:
31.10.2025.
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