Voorzittersontmoeting Europese Juristenverenigingen
The Vlaamse Juristenvereniging (the Flemish lawyers’ association) is an umbrella organisation for all Dutch-speaking lawyers in Belgium:it unites various professional organisations and, more broadly, lawyers. As such, the Vlaamse Juristenvereniging provides a meeting place for lawyers, a listening ear to all societal challenges concerning legal matters and a communication tool between the lawyer and society.
In exercising its mandate the Vlaamse Juristenvereniging holds close consultations with legal interest groups and professional organisations, such as law schools, the Bar, judges, notaries, bailiffs, lawyers and corporate governance lawyers.This structural dialogue and cooperation is applied to the administrative model of the association.
The Vlaamse Juristenvereniging aims to strengthen internal communications between lawyers and the abovementioned interests groups and professional organisations and also seeks to launch a dialogue with the non-legal world.
Similar associations with similar objectives are active in several other European countries (these include, among others, Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania...).So far, contacts between these associations are limited to reciprocal visits to each other's events and participation in the biennial European Lawyers’ Days (which took place in Budapest in 2009, and will be held in Luxembourg in 2011). Institutionalised contact, let alone cooperation, has yet not been achieved.
It should also be noted that several countries do not (yet) have an umbrella association for lawyers.Even in French-speaking Belgium there is, unfortunately, no sister organisation to our association.
Both of these conclusions are all the more regrettable because the role of the European Union regarding law and justice is becoming increasingly important.However, this evolution should be no surprise in a globalising world. Nevertheless, lawyers’ associations seem to somewhat miss the European boat.
The proposed project could offer a possible solution by creating, for the first time, a dialogue between the existing European lawyers' associations, represented by their presidents or their delegates.
The meeting has a dual purpose.Its first aim is to better inform each other of everyone's activities and to exchange best practices.There will also be discussions on the desirability of structural collaboration and a Europe-wide presence of lawyers' associations.Hopefully, this discussion will also generate concrete initiatives, which in turn will lead to the creation of new lawyers' associations and an umbrella organisation for European lawyers' associations.
Subsequently, further discussions will take place on the specific role the European Union plays in the daily practice of all lawyers.To achieve this, a meeting is sought with the new Commissioner for Justice, Ms Reding, and her staff.
A closing reception and dinner will promote informal contacts and give participants the opportunity to meet a number of leading players in Belgium’s legal community.The Minister of Justice has already confirmed his attendance at this reception.
The decision of making it a one-day event on a Friday is motivated by the desire to let all those interested in attending the event to also discover Brussels’ and Belgium’s tourist attractions.
Guidance will be followed.