18 Promotion of solidarity and social responsibility

The promotion of solidarity and social responsibility is generally regarded as primarily the function of public law (using, for example, criminal law, tax law and social welfare law) rather than private law. However, the promotion of solidarity and social responsibility is not absent from the private law rules in the DCFR. In the contractual context the word ‘solidarity’ is often used to mean loyalty or security. It is of great importance to the DCFR. The principle of solidarity and social responsibility is also strongly reflected, for example, in the rules on benevolent intervention in another's affairs, which try to minimise disincentives to acting out of neighbourly solidarity.19. It is also reflected in the rules on donation, which try to minimise disincentives to charitable giving (an expression of solidarity and social responsibility which was at one time all-important and is still extremely important).20. Moreover some of the rules in Book VI on non-contractual liability for damage caused to another protect against types of behaviour which are harmful for society in general.21. Many of these rules could also be regarded as examples of rules which promote security.