1. Sources of maintenance law

The texts of interest to maintenance managers vary widely: European directives, laws, decrees, ministerial, prefectoral or municipal decrees, administrative circulars, standards, general terms and conditions of sale or purchase...

They can be divided into three categories:

• texts issued by political authorities (European bodies, French Parliament, government, prefect, mayor);

• other texts from a variety of sources: government departments, standards-setting bodies, trade associations, for example. What they have in common is their professional nature;

• the contract, which constitutes the private "law" of the parties.