ccbe-info · ccbe-info n° 31/2012 2 court of justice of the european union: decision on in-house...
TRANSCRIPT
Editor PeterMcNamee
Editorial Board SimoneCuomo AntoineFobe SieglindeGamsjaumlger KarineMeacutetayer PeterMcNamee AlonzoHernaacutendez-PinzoacutenEditorial Secretaries AlexandreMaheacute (translator) SophieTestaert(layout)
CCBE-INFO-Europeanlawyers
promoting law amp justice -
-Les avocats europeacuteens pourledro itamplajusti ce-
Content Followuson
November2012Ndeg31
CourtofJusticeoftheEuropeanUnionDecisiononin-housecounsel 2PermanentDelegationtotheCourtsinLuxembourg(PDLux) 2 RulesofProcedure 2 PracticaladviceforAdvocatesbeforetheCourtofJustice 2 DraftaccessiontotheECHR 2Independentstudyoneconomicsignificanceoflegalservices 3Accesstojustice 3 ConferenceonlsquoJusticeinausteritychallengesandopportunities foraccesstojusticersquo 3Anti-moneylaundering 4 ProposalforanewAnti-MoneyLaunderingDirective 4 Michaudcase 4 FATFConsultation 4CorporateSocialResponsibility 5CouncilofEurope 5 CEPEJreportevaluatingthefunctioningoftheEuropeanjudicial systems 5 CCBErsquos117thPlenarySessionwillbehostedbytheEuropean CourtofHumanRights 5Criminallaw 6 Accesstoalawyerincriminalproceedings 6EuropeanPrivateLaw 6 EuropeanlawyerswelcometheCommonEuropeanSalesLawproposal andsuggestwiderscope 6FamilyampSuccessionsLaw 7 Adoptedregulationoninternationalsuccessions 7 Propertyrightsofinternationalcouples 8ITLaw 8 Europeanlawyerscallforasingleandcomprehensivedata protectionregime 8 CCBEadoptsguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservices bylawyers 9 CloudcomputingontheEUagenda 9 Cross-bordere-identificationande-signatureservices 10 AdoptionDirectiveontheinterconnectionofbusinessregisters 10PECO 11 Slovenia 11 Croatia 11 CouncilofEuropeReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo 11Projects 11 Find-A-Lawyerproject 11 e-CODEX 12 Futuree-Justiceprojects 12ContactswiththeCyprusPresidencyoftheEuropeanUnion 12
ccbe-infondeg312012
2
Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counselOn6September 2012 theCourt of Justice of theEuropeanUnionexpressed its viewson the standing of in-house counsel before theLuxembourgCourts(seedecision) APolishentity(thePolishtelecom-municationsregulator)wasrepresentedbeforetheGeneralCourtbyitsin-houselegaladvisorswhichhadanemploymentrelationshipwiththe entity (Legal Advisors have a right of audience before Polishcourts ) The General Court considered that this fell short from therequirementinArticle19oftheStatuteoftheCourtofJustice(whichrequires representation by a lsquolawyerrsquo) theGeneral Courtrsquos decisionwasappealedtotheCourtofJusticewhichndashconcurringwiththeviewsoftheGeneralCourt-statedinteraliathatldquoTherequirementofinde-pendenceofalawyerimpliesthattheremustbenoemploymentrela-
tionshipbetweenthelawyerandhisclient(hellip)rdquoandthatldquoAlthough(hellip)theconceptionofthelawyerrsquosroleinthelegalorderoftheEuropeanUnionderivesfromthelegaltraditionscommontotheMemberStatesinthecontextofdis-putesbroughtbeforetheCourtsoftheEuropeanUnionthatconceptionisimplementedobjectivelyandisneces-sarilyindependentfromthenationallegalorders rdquo
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
Rules of Procedure
TheCCBEwasinvitedbytheGeneralCourttosuggestchangestothecurrentRulesofProcedureoftheGeneralCourt TheCCBEpreparedcomprehensivecommentswhichithopestheGeneralCourtwilltakeintoaccount
TheCourtofJusticehasreviseditsRulesofProcedure ThenewRuleswilltakeeffectfrom1stNovember2012 TheCCBEalsosubmittedextensivecommentstotheCourtofJusticethroughout2011whentheCourtofJusticewasintheprocessofamendingitsRulesofProcedure
Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
TheCCBEhaspreparedsomepracticaladvicefor lawyersappearingbeforetheCourtofJustice TheadviceisaddressedprincipallytothoseappearingforthefirsttimeintheCourtofJusticeoftheEU Ithasbeendraftedinordertoenhancetheefficiencyofthepreliminaryreferenceprocedure TheadviceisdesignedtocomplementtheCourtrsquosownguidancesetoutontheCourtrsquoswebsiteundertheheadingldquoProcedurerdquoandinparticular in the Notes for the Guidance of Counsel httpcuria europa eujcmsuploaddocsapplicationpdf2008-09txt9_2008-09-25_17-37-52_275 pdf
SeealsoAdvice toCounselathttpcuria europa eujcmsjcmsJo2_12354conseils-aux-plaideursandtheInformationNoteonReferencesfromNationalCourtsforapreliminaryruling httpeur-lex europa euLexUriServLexUriServ douri=OJC201116000010005ENPDF
Theadviceaddressesthreeareasbull Writtenpleadingsbull Oralpleadingsbull Practicalissues
Draft accession to the ECHR
UpontheaccessionoftheEUtotheEuropeanConventiononHumanRights(ECHR)itisproposedthattherebeaprocedurewhichpermitstheECHRtosubmitquestionsofEUlawtotheCourtofJusticepriortotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsgivingjudgmentinanyparticularcase ThisaspectisofconcerntotheCCBE TheCCBEsubmitteda letter toMsLuisellaPavan-Woolfe (AmbassadorHeadofDelegationof theEuropeanUnion to theCouncilofEurope)seekinginformationwithregardtotheEUnegotiatingpositionontheproceduralissuessurround-ingsuchquestionsndashwhatisthepositionoflitigantsintheparticularcaseandwhataretheirremedies Following
ccbe-infondeg312012
3
thelettertheCCBEwillmeetwiththeCommissiontodiscusstheissueinfurtherdetail
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Independent study on economic significance of legal servicesAnindependentstudycommissionedbytheCCBEwasrecentlypublishedonassess-ingtheeconomicsignificanceofthelegalservicessectorintheEuropeanUnion ThisstudywasconductedbyProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorof theldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquoinOxford
Thestudyconcludesthattheinstitutionsandlawsofalegalsystemconditionanddeter-mine economic performance Institutions that are stable and credible facilitate eco-nomic development and lead to higher levels of economic activity Lawyers activelycontribute through their everyday actions and conduct to both the shapeof a legalsystemandhoweffectivelyitoperatesandfunctions
Thestudyemphasisestheimportantrelationshipbetweenlegalservicesandeconomicperformancewhichstemsfromtheimportantrolethatlawyersrsquoservicesplaybeyondthelegalservicesmarketinitselfinfacilitatingandsustainingmarketsandmarketgrowth
Thecoreactivityoftheprofessionallegalservicessectortendstoexpandmarketactivitythroughouttheeconomyandthereforecloselybelinkedtoeconomicperformanceandgrowth Thestudyinfersfromthispointthatprofes-sionallegalservicesmarketsthemselvesshouldfunctioneffectivelyandthatpotential(regulatory)reformsthatcouldaffectthequalityorquantityoflegalservicesrequirecarefulassessmentinconceptualandanalyticalframeworksthatarebroadenoughtoencompassthewidereconomiceffects
ThestudyisavailableontheCCBEwebsitehttpwww ccbe eufileadminuser_uploadNTCdocumentRPI_study_Yarrow_D1_1348650358 pdf
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
Access to justice
Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
On6-7December2012theEuropeanParliamentandtheFundamentalRightsAgencyof theEuropeanUnion (FRA)areholding their annualhumanrightsconferenceinBrusselsonlsquoJusticeinausteritychallengesand opportunities for access to justicersquo Marcella Prunbauer-GlaserCCBEPresidentwillparticipateinthepaneladdressingthequestionofwhether thecurrentcrisisoffersopportunitiesforreform Therewillbeworkshopsontopicsofinterestfortheprofessionincludingonensuringaccess to legal aid andaccess to a lawyer onmediationandon theopportunitiesofferedbye-technologies TheCCBEhasrecommendedspeakers forworkshops Theorganisersof theconferencewelcomeawiderepresentationofCCBEmembers
MoreinformationonthiseventcanbefoundhereontheFRArsquoswebsite
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorofthe
ldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquo
ccbe-infondeg312012
4
Anti-money laundering
Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
TheEuropeanCommissionaimstopresentaproposalforanewAnti-MoneyLaunderingDirectivetowardstheendofNovember2012 InJulytheCommissionsubmitteditsimpactassessmentontheexistingDirective TheimpactassessmentisnotpubliclyavailableatthisstageasitwillonlybemadeavailableatthesametimeastheCommissionproposalispublished TheCCBEhassentanumberofpaperstotheCommissionregardingtheproblemswiththecurrentDirectiveandsuggestionsfor theforthcomingDirective It isexpectedthat therevisedDirectivewillalsoincorporatethechangesmadetotheRevisedFATF40Recommendationsthatwereconcludedon16February
Michaud case
InJanuary2011aFrenchlawyerPatrickMichaudtookacasetotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstocomplainaboutthe lackofconformitywiththeConventionbetweentherulesonsuspiciousreportingandtheright to legaladvice This is the first case before theStrasbourgCourt on the question of compatibility between the lawyerrsquosreportingdutiesunderthemoneylaunderinglegislationandArticle8oftheEuropeanConventionofHumanRights TheCCBEhasbeenadmittedasaninterveningpartyinthiscaseandtheCCBEinterventionwassenttotheCourtofHumanRightsinMarch On2Octoberahearingtookplaceontheadmissibilityoftheproceedings Adecisiononadmissibilitywillbeissuedatalaterstage
FATF Consultation
TheFinancialActionTaskForce(FATF)hasstartedanewtypologyprojectthatwilllookatMoneyLaunderingandTerroristFinancingvulnerabilitieswithregardtothelegalprofession TheFATFpreparedaquestionnairewhichisaimedspecificallyatthelegalprofession Thequestionnairedealswith
bull Theapplicationofanti-moneylaunderingrequirementsbull Perceptionsofriskandadvicetomembersbull Supervisionofmembersandethicalexpectationsbull RelationshipswithFinancialIntelligenceUnits
On4OctobertheCCBEsentthequestionnairetodelegationsinvitingmemberBarsandLawSocietiestorespond ItisbelievedthatitisbestthateachnationalBarandLawSocietycompletesthequestionnaireasthequestionsrequireresponsesfromanationalperspective TheFATFhasrequestedthatrepliesbesentbeforethedeadlineof2November2012
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
5
Corporate Social ResponsibilityGiventhedevelopmentsattheinternationalEuropeanandnationalleveltheCommitteeonCSRisintheprocessofupdatingitsinformatoryguidelines Therevisedguidelineswilladdressbull NewCSRdevelopmentsbull WhylawyerslawfirmsbarsandlawsocietieshavetodealwithCSR(includingadviceonCSR)bull CSR for the legalprofession (including lawyersassuppliersofserviceslaw firmsbarsand lawsocietiesas
ldquoenterprisesrdquooutlineoftheessentialelementsoftheresponsibilityofthelegalprofession)
TherevisedguidelinesareexpectedtobepresentedforapprovaltotheFebruary2013StandingCommittee
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Council of Europe
CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
IntheframeworkoftheConferenceofMinistersofJusticeoftheCouncilofEurope(ViennaAustria20September) theEuropeanCommissionfortheEfficiencyofJustice(CEPEJ)proceededtotheofficialpublicationof its 2012 report ldquoEuropean judicial systemsrdquo This report provides adetailedandcomparativepictureofthedailyoperationsof judicialsys-temsin46EuropeanstatesandgivesaviewofthemaintrendsoftheevolutionofjudicialpoliciesinEurope
FoundedtenyearsagotheaimoftheCEPEJistheimprovementoftheefficiencyandfunctioningofjusticeinthememberStatesandthedevelopmentoftheimplementationoftheinstrumentsadoptedbytheCouncilofEuropetothisend SinceitsinceptiontheCCBEhasbeenanobservermemberoftheCEPEJ ItattendsallplenarymeetingswhichareheldtwiceayearinStrasbourg(France)attheseatoftheCouncilofEurope
Documentsbull EvaluationreportonEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Appendixadditionaltablesbull Erratabull OverviewoftheevaluationreportofEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Repliesbycountry
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
ForthefirsttimeEuropeanCourtofHumanRightswillhostournextPlenarySessionon30NovemberinStrasbourg Thisistobeseenin the context of a CCBE effort to develop its relations with theStrasbourgCourt DeanSpielmannthenewlyelectedPresidentoftheCourtwilldeliverawelcomespeech
ThePlenarySessionwillbeprecededonThursdayafternoonbyaroundtablewhichwill address the following three topics the rele-vanceof theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights in businesslawtheroleoflawyersinjudicialproceedingsbeforetheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsrecentinstitutionaldevelopmentsinbringingthe European Union into the European Convention on HumanRightssystem
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
2
Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counselOn6September 2012 theCourt of Justice of theEuropeanUnionexpressed its viewson the standing of in-house counsel before theLuxembourgCourts(seedecision) APolishentity(thePolishtelecom-municationsregulator)wasrepresentedbeforetheGeneralCourtbyitsin-houselegaladvisorswhichhadanemploymentrelationshipwiththe entity (Legal Advisors have a right of audience before Polishcourts ) The General Court considered that this fell short from therequirementinArticle19oftheStatuteoftheCourtofJustice(whichrequires representation by a lsquolawyerrsquo) theGeneral Courtrsquos decisionwasappealedtotheCourtofJusticewhichndashconcurringwiththeviewsoftheGeneralCourt-statedinteraliathatldquoTherequirementofinde-pendenceofalawyerimpliesthattheremustbenoemploymentrela-
tionshipbetweenthelawyerandhisclient(hellip)rdquoandthatldquoAlthough(hellip)theconceptionofthelawyerrsquosroleinthelegalorderoftheEuropeanUnionderivesfromthelegaltraditionscommontotheMemberStatesinthecontextofdis-putesbroughtbeforetheCourtsoftheEuropeanUnionthatconceptionisimplementedobjectivelyandisneces-sarilyindependentfromthenationallegalorders rdquo
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
Rules of Procedure
TheCCBEwasinvitedbytheGeneralCourttosuggestchangestothecurrentRulesofProcedureoftheGeneralCourt TheCCBEpreparedcomprehensivecommentswhichithopestheGeneralCourtwilltakeintoaccount
TheCourtofJusticehasreviseditsRulesofProcedure ThenewRuleswilltakeeffectfrom1stNovember2012 TheCCBEalsosubmittedextensivecommentstotheCourtofJusticethroughout2011whentheCourtofJusticewasintheprocessofamendingitsRulesofProcedure
Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
TheCCBEhaspreparedsomepracticaladvicefor lawyersappearingbeforetheCourtofJustice TheadviceisaddressedprincipallytothoseappearingforthefirsttimeintheCourtofJusticeoftheEU Ithasbeendraftedinordertoenhancetheefficiencyofthepreliminaryreferenceprocedure TheadviceisdesignedtocomplementtheCourtrsquosownguidancesetoutontheCourtrsquoswebsiteundertheheadingldquoProcedurerdquoandinparticular in the Notes for the Guidance of Counsel httpcuria europa eujcmsuploaddocsapplicationpdf2008-09txt9_2008-09-25_17-37-52_275 pdf
SeealsoAdvice toCounselathttpcuria europa eujcmsjcmsJo2_12354conseils-aux-plaideursandtheInformationNoteonReferencesfromNationalCourtsforapreliminaryruling httpeur-lex europa euLexUriServLexUriServ douri=OJC201116000010005ENPDF
Theadviceaddressesthreeareasbull Writtenpleadingsbull Oralpleadingsbull Practicalissues
Draft accession to the ECHR
UpontheaccessionoftheEUtotheEuropeanConventiononHumanRights(ECHR)itisproposedthattherebeaprocedurewhichpermitstheECHRtosubmitquestionsofEUlawtotheCourtofJusticepriortotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsgivingjudgmentinanyparticularcase ThisaspectisofconcerntotheCCBE TheCCBEsubmitteda letter toMsLuisellaPavan-Woolfe (AmbassadorHeadofDelegationof theEuropeanUnion to theCouncilofEurope)seekinginformationwithregardtotheEUnegotiatingpositionontheproceduralissuessurround-ingsuchquestionsndashwhatisthepositionoflitigantsintheparticularcaseandwhataretheirremedies Following
ccbe-infondeg312012
3
thelettertheCCBEwillmeetwiththeCommissiontodiscusstheissueinfurtherdetail
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Independent study on economic significance of legal servicesAnindependentstudycommissionedbytheCCBEwasrecentlypublishedonassess-ingtheeconomicsignificanceofthelegalservicessectorintheEuropeanUnion ThisstudywasconductedbyProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorof theldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquoinOxford
Thestudyconcludesthattheinstitutionsandlawsofalegalsystemconditionanddeter-mine economic performance Institutions that are stable and credible facilitate eco-nomic development and lead to higher levels of economic activity Lawyers activelycontribute through their everyday actions and conduct to both the shapeof a legalsystemandhoweffectivelyitoperatesandfunctions
Thestudyemphasisestheimportantrelationshipbetweenlegalservicesandeconomicperformancewhichstemsfromtheimportantrolethatlawyersrsquoservicesplaybeyondthelegalservicesmarketinitselfinfacilitatingandsustainingmarketsandmarketgrowth
Thecoreactivityoftheprofessionallegalservicessectortendstoexpandmarketactivitythroughouttheeconomyandthereforecloselybelinkedtoeconomicperformanceandgrowth Thestudyinfersfromthispointthatprofes-sionallegalservicesmarketsthemselvesshouldfunctioneffectivelyandthatpotential(regulatory)reformsthatcouldaffectthequalityorquantityoflegalservicesrequirecarefulassessmentinconceptualandanalyticalframeworksthatarebroadenoughtoencompassthewidereconomiceffects
ThestudyisavailableontheCCBEwebsitehttpwww ccbe eufileadminuser_uploadNTCdocumentRPI_study_Yarrow_D1_1348650358 pdf
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
Access to justice
Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
On6-7December2012theEuropeanParliamentandtheFundamentalRightsAgencyof theEuropeanUnion (FRA)areholding their annualhumanrightsconferenceinBrusselsonlsquoJusticeinausteritychallengesand opportunities for access to justicersquo Marcella Prunbauer-GlaserCCBEPresidentwillparticipateinthepaneladdressingthequestionofwhether thecurrentcrisisoffersopportunitiesforreform Therewillbeworkshopsontopicsofinterestfortheprofessionincludingonensuringaccess to legal aid andaccess to a lawyer onmediationandon theopportunitiesofferedbye-technologies TheCCBEhasrecommendedspeakers forworkshops Theorganisersof theconferencewelcomeawiderepresentationofCCBEmembers
MoreinformationonthiseventcanbefoundhereontheFRArsquoswebsite
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorofthe
ldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquo
ccbe-infondeg312012
4
Anti-money laundering
Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
TheEuropeanCommissionaimstopresentaproposalforanewAnti-MoneyLaunderingDirectivetowardstheendofNovember2012 InJulytheCommissionsubmitteditsimpactassessmentontheexistingDirective TheimpactassessmentisnotpubliclyavailableatthisstageasitwillonlybemadeavailableatthesametimeastheCommissionproposalispublished TheCCBEhassentanumberofpaperstotheCommissionregardingtheproblemswiththecurrentDirectiveandsuggestionsfor theforthcomingDirective It isexpectedthat therevisedDirectivewillalsoincorporatethechangesmadetotheRevisedFATF40Recommendationsthatwereconcludedon16February
Michaud case
InJanuary2011aFrenchlawyerPatrickMichaudtookacasetotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstocomplainaboutthe lackofconformitywiththeConventionbetweentherulesonsuspiciousreportingandtheright to legaladvice This is the first case before theStrasbourgCourt on the question of compatibility between the lawyerrsquosreportingdutiesunderthemoneylaunderinglegislationandArticle8oftheEuropeanConventionofHumanRights TheCCBEhasbeenadmittedasaninterveningpartyinthiscaseandtheCCBEinterventionwassenttotheCourtofHumanRightsinMarch On2Octoberahearingtookplaceontheadmissibilityoftheproceedings Adecisiononadmissibilitywillbeissuedatalaterstage
FATF Consultation
TheFinancialActionTaskForce(FATF)hasstartedanewtypologyprojectthatwilllookatMoneyLaunderingandTerroristFinancingvulnerabilitieswithregardtothelegalprofession TheFATFpreparedaquestionnairewhichisaimedspecificallyatthelegalprofession Thequestionnairedealswith
bull Theapplicationofanti-moneylaunderingrequirementsbull Perceptionsofriskandadvicetomembersbull Supervisionofmembersandethicalexpectationsbull RelationshipswithFinancialIntelligenceUnits
On4OctobertheCCBEsentthequestionnairetodelegationsinvitingmemberBarsandLawSocietiestorespond ItisbelievedthatitisbestthateachnationalBarandLawSocietycompletesthequestionnaireasthequestionsrequireresponsesfromanationalperspective TheFATFhasrequestedthatrepliesbesentbeforethedeadlineof2November2012
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
5
Corporate Social ResponsibilityGiventhedevelopmentsattheinternationalEuropeanandnationalleveltheCommitteeonCSRisintheprocessofupdatingitsinformatoryguidelines Therevisedguidelineswilladdressbull NewCSRdevelopmentsbull WhylawyerslawfirmsbarsandlawsocietieshavetodealwithCSR(includingadviceonCSR)bull CSR for the legalprofession (including lawyersassuppliersofserviceslaw firmsbarsand lawsocietiesas
ldquoenterprisesrdquooutlineoftheessentialelementsoftheresponsibilityofthelegalprofession)
TherevisedguidelinesareexpectedtobepresentedforapprovaltotheFebruary2013StandingCommittee
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Council of Europe
CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
IntheframeworkoftheConferenceofMinistersofJusticeoftheCouncilofEurope(ViennaAustria20September) theEuropeanCommissionfortheEfficiencyofJustice(CEPEJ)proceededtotheofficialpublicationof its 2012 report ldquoEuropean judicial systemsrdquo This report provides adetailedandcomparativepictureofthedailyoperationsof judicialsys-temsin46EuropeanstatesandgivesaviewofthemaintrendsoftheevolutionofjudicialpoliciesinEurope
FoundedtenyearsagotheaimoftheCEPEJistheimprovementoftheefficiencyandfunctioningofjusticeinthememberStatesandthedevelopmentoftheimplementationoftheinstrumentsadoptedbytheCouncilofEuropetothisend SinceitsinceptiontheCCBEhasbeenanobservermemberoftheCEPEJ ItattendsallplenarymeetingswhichareheldtwiceayearinStrasbourg(France)attheseatoftheCouncilofEurope
Documentsbull EvaluationreportonEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Appendixadditionaltablesbull Erratabull OverviewoftheevaluationreportofEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Repliesbycountry
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
ForthefirsttimeEuropeanCourtofHumanRightswillhostournextPlenarySessionon30NovemberinStrasbourg Thisistobeseenin the context of a CCBE effort to develop its relations with theStrasbourgCourt DeanSpielmannthenewlyelectedPresidentoftheCourtwilldeliverawelcomespeech
ThePlenarySessionwillbeprecededonThursdayafternoonbyaroundtablewhichwill address the following three topics the rele-vanceof theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights in businesslawtheroleoflawyersinjudicialproceedingsbeforetheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsrecentinstitutionaldevelopmentsinbringingthe European Union into the European Convention on HumanRightssystem
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
3
thelettertheCCBEwillmeetwiththeCommissiontodiscusstheissueinfurtherdetail
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Independent study on economic significance of legal servicesAnindependentstudycommissionedbytheCCBEwasrecentlypublishedonassess-ingtheeconomicsignificanceofthelegalservicessectorintheEuropeanUnion ThisstudywasconductedbyProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorof theldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquoinOxford
Thestudyconcludesthattheinstitutionsandlawsofalegalsystemconditionanddeter-mine economic performance Institutions that are stable and credible facilitate eco-nomic development and lead to higher levels of economic activity Lawyers activelycontribute through their everyday actions and conduct to both the shapeof a legalsystemandhoweffectivelyitoperatesandfunctions
Thestudyemphasisestheimportantrelationshipbetweenlegalservicesandeconomicperformancewhichstemsfromtheimportantrolethatlawyersrsquoservicesplaybeyondthelegalservicesmarketinitselfinfacilitatingandsustainingmarketsandmarketgrowth
Thecoreactivityoftheprofessionallegalservicessectortendstoexpandmarketactivitythroughouttheeconomyandthereforecloselybelinkedtoeconomicperformanceandgrowth Thestudyinfersfromthispointthatprofes-sionallegalservicesmarketsthemselvesshouldfunctioneffectivelyandthatpotential(regulatory)reformsthatcouldaffectthequalityorquantityoflegalservicesrequirecarefulassessmentinconceptualandanalyticalframeworksthatarebroadenoughtoencompassthewidereconomiceffects
ThestudyisavailableontheCCBEwebsitehttpwww ccbe eufileadminuser_uploadNTCdocumentRPI_study_Yarrow_D1_1348650358 pdf
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
Access to justice
Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
On6-7December2012theEuropeanParliamentandtheFundamentalRightsAgencyof theEuropeanUnion (FRA)areholding their annualhumanrightsconferenceinBrusselsonlsquoJusticeinausteritychallengesand opportunities for access to justicersquo Marcella Prunbauer-GlaserCCBEPresidentwillparticipateinthepaneladdressingthequestionofwhether thecurrentcrisisoffersopportunitiesforreform Therewillbeworkshopsontopicsofinterestfortheprofessionincludingonensuringaccess to legal aid andaccess to a lawyer onmediationandon theopportunitiesofferedbye-technologies TheCCBEhasrecommendedspeakers forworkshops Theorganisersof theconferencewelcomeawiderepresentationofCCBEmembers
MoreinformationonthiseventcanbefoundhereontheFRArsquoswebsite
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ProfessorGeorgeYarrowDirectorofthe
ldquoRegulatoryPolicyInstituterdquo
ccbe-infondeg312012
4
Anti-money laundering
Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
TheEuropeanCommissionaimstopresentaproposalforanewAnti-MoneyLaunderingDirectivetowardstheendofNovember2012 InJulytheCommissionsubmitteditsimpactassessmentontheexistingDirective TheimpactassessmentisnotpubliclyavailableatthisstageasitwillonlybemadeavailableatthesametimeastheCommissionproposalispublished TheCCBEhassentanumberofpaperstotheCommissionregardingtheproblemswiththecurrentDirectiveandsuggestionsfor theforthcomingDirective It isexpectedthat therevisedDirectivewillalsoincorporatethechangesmadetotheRevisedFATF40Recommendationsthatwereconcludedon16February
Michaud case
InJanuary2011aFrenchlawyerPatrickMichaudtookacasetotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstocomplainaboutthe lackofconformitywiththeConventionbetweentherulesonsuspiciousreportingandtheright to legaladvice This is the first case before theStrasbourgCourt on the question of compatibility between the lawyerrsquosreportingdutiesunderthemoneylaunderinglegislationandArticle8oftheEuropeanConventionofHumanRights TheCCBEhasbeenadmittedasaninterveningpartyinthiscaseandtheCCBEinterventionwassenttotheCourtofHumanRightsinMarch On2Octoberahearingtookplaceontheadmissibilityoftheproceedings Adecisiononadmissibilitywillbeissuedatalaterstage
FATF Consultation
TheFinancialActionTaskForce(FATF)hasstartedanewtypologyprojectthatwilllookatMoneyLaunderingandTerroristFinancingvulnerabilitieswithregardtothelegalprofession TheFATFpreparedaquestionnairewhichisaimedspecificallyatthelegalprofession Thequestionnairedealswith
bull Theapplicationofanti-moneylaunderingrequirementsbull Perceptionsofriskandadvicetomembersbull Supervisionofmembersandethicalexpectationsbull RelationshipswithFinancialIntelligenceUnits
On4OctobertheCCBEsentthequestionnairetodelegationsinvitingmemberBarsandLawSocietiestorespond ItisbelievedthatitisbestthateachnationalBarandLawSocietycompletesthequestionnaireasthequestionsrequireresponsesfromanationalperspective TheFATFhasrequestedthatrepliesbesentbeforethedeadlineof2November2012
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
5
Corporate Social ResponsibilityGiventhedevelopmentsattheinternationalEuropeanandnationalleveltheCommitteeonCSRisintheprocessofupdatingitsinformatoryguidelines Therevisedguidelineswilladdressbull NewCSRdevelopmentsbull WhylawyerslawfirmsbarsandlawsocietieshavetodealwithCSR(includingadviceonCSR)bull CSR for the legalprofession (including lawyersassuppliersofserviceslaw firmsbarsand lawsocietiesas
ldquoenterprisesrdquooutlineoftheessentialelementsoftheresponsibilityofthelegalprofession)
TherevisedguidelinesareexpectedtobepresentedforapprovaltotheFebruary2013StandingCommittee
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Council of Europe
CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
IntheframeworkoftheConferenceofMinistersofJusticeoftheCouncilofEurope(ViennaAustria20September) theEuropeanCommissionfortheEfficiencyofJustice(CEPEJ)proceededtotheofficialpublicationof its 2012 report ldquoEuropean judicial systemsrdquo This report provides adetailedandcomparativepictureofthedailyoperationsof judicialsys-temsin46EuropeanstatesandgivesaviewofthemaintrendsoftheevolutionofjudicialpoliciesinEurope
FoundedtenyearsagotheaimoftheCEPEJistheimprovementoftheefficiencyandfunctioningofjusticeinthememberStatesandthedevelopmentoftheimplementationoftheinstrumentsadoptedbytheCouncilofEuropetothisend SinceitsinceptiontheCCBEhasbeenanobservermemberoftheCEPEJ ItattendsallplenarymeetingswhichareheldtwiceayearinStrasbourg(France)attheseatoftheCouncilofEurope
Documentsbull EvaluationreportonEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Appendixadditionaltablesbull Erratabull OverviewoftheevaluationreportofEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Repliesbycountry
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
ForthefirsttimeEuropeanCourtofHumanRightswillhostournextPlenarySessionon30NovemberinStrasbourg Thisistobeseenin the context of a CCBE effort to develop its relations with theStrasbourgCourt DeanSpielmannthenewlyelectedPresidentoftheCourtwilldeliverawelcomespeech
ThePlenarySessionwillbeprecededonThursdayafternoonbyaroundtablewhichwill address the following three topics the rele-vanceof theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights in businesslawtheroleoflawyersinjudicialproceedingsbeforetheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsrecentinstitutionaldevelopmentsinbringingthe European Union into the European Convention on HumanRightssystem
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
4
Anti-money laundering
Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
TheEuropeanCommissionaimstopresentaproposalforanewAnti-MoneyLaunderingDirectivetowardstheendofNovember2012 InJulytheCommissionsubmitteditsimpactassessmentontheexistingDirective TheimpactassessmentisnotpubliclyavailableatthisstageasitwillonlybemadeavailableatthesametimeastheCommissionproposalispublished TheCCBEhassentanumberofpaperstotheCommissionregardingtheproblemswiththecurrentDirectiveandsuggestionsfor theforthcomingDirective It isexpectedthat therevisedDirectivewillalsoincorporatethechangesmadetotheRevisedFATF40Recommendationsthatwereconcludedon16February
Michaud case
InJanuary2011aFrenchlawyerPatrickMichaudtookacasetotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstocomplainaboutthe lackofconformitywiththeConventionbetweentherulesonsuspiciousreportingandtheright to legaladvice This is the first case before theStrasbourgCourt on the question of compatibility between the lawyerrsquosreportingdutiesunderthemoneylaunderinglegislationandArticle8oftheEuropeanConventionofHumanRights TheCCBEhasbeenadmittedasaninterveningpartyinthiscaseandtheCCBEinterventionwassenttotheCourtofHumanRightsinMarch On2Octoberahearingtookplaceontheadmissibilityoftheproceedings Adecisiononadmissibilitywillbeissuedatalaterstage
FATF Consultation
TheFinancialActionTaskForce(FATF)hasstartedanewtypologyprojectthatwilllookatMoneyLaunderingandTerroristFinancingvulnerabilitieswithregardtothelegalprofession TheFATFpreparedaquestionnairewhichisaimedspecificallyatthelegalprofession Thequestionnairedealswith
bull Theapplicationofanti-moneylaunderingrequirementsbull Perceptionsofriskandadvicetomembersbull Supervisionofmembersandethicalexpectationsbull RelationshipswithFinancialIntelligenceUnits
On4OctobertheCCBEsentthequestionnairetodelegationsinvitingmemberBarsandLawSocietiestorespond ItisbelievedthatitisbestthateachnationalBarandLawSocietycompletesthequestionnaireasthequestionsrequireresponsesfromanationalperspective TheFATFhasrequestedthatrepliesbesentbeforethedeadlineof2November2012
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
5
Corporate Social ResponsibilityGiventhedevelopmentsattheinternationalEuropeanandnationalleveltheCommitteeonCSRisintheprocessofupdatingitsinformatoryguidelines Therevisedguidelineswilladdressbull NewCSRdevelopmentsbull WhylawyerslawfirmsbarsandlawsocietieshavetodealwithCSR(includingadviceonCSR)bull CSR for the legalprofession (including lawyersassuppliersofserviceslaw firmsbarsand lawsocietiesas
ldquoenterprisesrdquooutlineoftheessentialelementsoftheresponsibilityofthelegalprofession)
TherevisedguidelinesareexpectedtobepresentedforapprovaltotheFebruary2013StandingCommittee
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Council of Europe
CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
IntheframeworkoftheConferenceofMinistersofJusticeoftheCouncilofEurope(ViennaAustria20September) theEuropeanCommissionfortheEfficiencyofJustice(CEPEJ)proceededtotheofficialpublicationof its 2012 report ldquoEuropean judicial systemsrdquo This report provides adetailedandcomparativepictureofthedailyoperationsof judicialsys-temsin46EuropeanstatesandgivesaviewofthemaintrendsoftheevolutionofjudicialpoliciesinEurope
FoundedtenyearsagotheaimoftheCEPEJistheimprovementoftheefficiencyandfunctioningofjusticeinthememberStatesandthedevelopmentoftheimplementationoftheinstrumentsadoptedbytheCouncilofEuropetothisend SinceitsinceptiontheCCBEhasbeenanobservermemberoftheCEPEJ ItattendsallplenarymeetingswhichareheldtwiceayearinStrasbourg(France)attheseatoftheCouncilofEurope
Documentsbull EvaluationreportonEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Appendixadditionaltablesbull Erratabull OverviewoftheevaluationreportofEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Repliesbycountry
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
ForthefirsttimeEuropeanCourtofHumanRightswillhostournextPlenarySessionon30NovemberinStrasbourg Thisistobeseenin the context of a CCBE effort to develop its relations with theStrasbourgCourt DeanSpielmannthenewlyelectedPresidentoftheCourtwilldeliverawelcomespeech
ThePlenarySessionwillbeprecededonThursdayafternoonbyaroundtablewhichwill address the following three topics the rele-vanceof theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights in businesslawtheroleoflawyersinjudicialproceedingsbeforetheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsrecentinstitutionaldevelopmentsinbringingthe European Union into the European Convention on HumanRightssystem
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
5
Corporate Social ResponsibilityGiventhedevelopmentsattheinternationalEuropeanandnationalleveltheCommitteeonCSRisintheprocessofupdatingitsinformatoryguidelines Therevisedguidelineswilladdressbull NewCSRdevelopmentsbull WhylawyerslawfirmsbarsandlawsocietieshavetodealwithCSR(includingadviceonCSR)bull CSR for the legalprofession (including lawyersassuppliersofserviceslaw firmsbarsand lawsocietiesas
ldquoenterprisesrdquooutlineoftheessentialelementsoftheresponsibilityofthelegalprofession)
TherevisedguidelinesareexpectedtobepresentedforapprovaltotheFebruary2013StandingCommittee
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
Council of Europe
CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
IntheframeworkoftheConferenceofMinistersofJusticeoftheCouncilofEurope(ViennaAustria20September) theEuropeanCommissionfortheEfficiencyofJustice(CEPEJ)proceededtotheofficialpublicationof its 2012 report ldquoEuropean judicial systemsrdquo This report provides adetailedandcomparativepictureofthedailyoperationsof judicialsys-temsin46EuropeanstatesandgivesaviewofthemaintrendsoftheevolutionofjudicialpoliciesinEurope
FoundedtenyearsagotheaimoftheCEPEJistheimprovementoftheefficiencyandfunctioningofjusticeinthememberStatesandthedevelopmentoftheimplementationoftheinstrumentsadoptedbytheCouncilofEuropetothisend SinceitsinceptiontheCCBEhasbeenanobservermemberoftheCEPEJ ItattendsallplenarymeetingswhichareheldtwiceayearinStrasbourg(France)attheseatoftheCouncilofEurope
Documentsbull EvaluationreportonEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Appendixadditionaltablesbull Erratabull OverviewoftheevaluationreportofEuropeanjudicialsystemsbull Repliesbycountry
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
ForthefirsttimeEuropeanCourtofHumanRightswillhostournextPlenarySessionon30NovemberinStrasbourg Thisistobeseenin the context of a CCBE effort to develop its relations with theStrasbourgCourt DeanSpielmannthenewlyelectedPresidentoftheCourtwilldeliverawelcomespeech
ThePlenarySessionwillbeprecededonThursdayafternoonbyaroundtablewhichwill address the following three topics the rele-vanceof theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights in businesslawtheroleoflawyersinjudicialproceedingsbeforetheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsrecentinstitutionaldevelopmentsinbringingthe European Union into the European Convention on HumanRightssystem
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
6
Criminal law
Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
TheCriminalLawCommitteehasbeenfollowingdevelopmentsregardingtheCommissionproposalontherightofaccess to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest In June 2011 theCommissionpresenteditsproposalwhichisthethirdinalineofmeasurescalledforbytheEUCounciltoensurethatcitizenshavethesamebasicrights intheirdealingswithcriminal justicesystemsregardlessoftheMemberStatewheretheyaresuspectedoraccusedofhavingcommittedacriminaloffence
On8June2012theCouncil(MemberStatelevel)agreedaldquoGeneralapproachrdquo(similartoacommonposition) TheGeneralApproachreflectstheCouncilrsquosviewandhasbeensenttotheCommissionandParliament Therel-evantCommitteeintheParliamentadopteditspositionon12JulywhichismainlyinlinewiththeCCBErsquoswishes ThethreeEUinstitutionsnowhavetheirposition(theCommissionpositioniscontainedintheiroriginalproposalofJune2011) Todatetwotrilogues(discussionsbetweentheCouncilParliamentandCommission)havetakenplacewithanumberoffurthertriloguesscheduled
TheCriminalLawCommitteeisfeedingintothediscussionsinordertoensurethatapositiveoutcomeisreachedandtheCCBEwillmaintainitsregularcontactwiththeParliamentandCommissionandcontinuetocommunicateitspositiontotheCouncil
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactPeterMcNamee(mcnameeccbe eu)
European Private Law
European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
Initspositionpaperadoptedon7September2012theCCBEexpresseditssupportfortheproposedRegulationonaCommonEuropeanSalesLaw(CESL)andcalledontheEUinstitutionstoadoptitwithanenlargedscope
ldquoTheproposalreflectsanumberofimportantlegalprinciplesunderlinedbytheCCBEandisausefullegalinstru-mentrdquo said theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoWeseeno reason to limit thescopeof theCESLRegulationtocross-bordersalesandtoSMEsasisthecasewiththeproposalrdquosheadded
InparticulartheCCBEwelcomedthefactthattheproposalisverymuchinlinewithitssuggestionsthatweremadeina number of its prior position papers For instance inrespectofensuringfreedomofcontractasaguidingprinci-pleunderlying theCESLprovidingcommon listsofunfairandpotentiallyunfaircontractterms(includingforbusiness-to-business transactions) and including the concept ofldquoindividuallynegotiatedrdquocontracttermswhichexcludestheapplicabilityoftheunfairnesstestinthosecaseswherethepartieswereabletoinfluencethetermsofthecontract
ldquoWithregardtothemeaningofldquounfairrdquoincontractsbetweentradersitwouldbeusefultoalsoincludeareferencetotheunderlying ldquolegal principlesrdquo fromwhich the standard con-tracttermsmaynotgrosslydeviateasafurtherbenchmarkoftheunfairnesstestrdquoMarcellaPrunbauer-Glasersaid
Regardingthewordingofthetext inordertooptimisethepractical interest of the CESL the CCBE recommendedclarifying somegeneral conceptsopen to interpretation (e g lsquogood faithand fair dealingrsquo lsquoreasonablenessrsquo) andcarefullyverifyingtheconsistencyoftheterminologyusedthroughoutthetextandbetweenthedifferentlinguisticversions
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
7
TheCCBEhadissuedanearlierpreliminarypositionpaperontheproposedCESLinwhichitcalledupontheEUinstitutionstoengageinanin-depthanalysisoftheappropriatenessofthelegalbasischosenbytheCommissionandtherelationshipoftheproposalwithArticle6oftheRegulationonthelawapplicabletocontractualobligations(ldquoRomeIrdquo)
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
Family amp Successions Law
Adopted regulation on international successions
On8JunetheJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedtheRegulationonjurisdictionapplicablelawrecognitionandenforcementofdecisionsandauthenticinstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionandthecreationofaEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionclearingthewayforittobecomelaw Thetexthasalreadybeenpublishedintheofficialjournalandiscurrentlyavailableatthislink
TheCCBEissatisfiedwiththeadoptedtextasitreflectsthemostimportantissuesfortheCCBE InparticulartheCCBEwelcomestherecognitionthatinsomeMemberStateslegallybindinginstrumentsinmattersofsuccessionaredrawnupbylegalprofessionalsotherthannotariessincenoteveryMemberStatehasanotarialsystem ldquoThishasalwaysbeenakeypointfortheCCBErdquosaidtheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser ldquoFreemovementmustbenefitallEUcitizenswhoinvokethestatusandeffectofalegallybindinginstrumentinmattersofsuccessionestablishedunderthenationallawofaMemberStaterdquosheadded
ldquoEvenifwewouldhavepreferredamoreprecisedefinitionoflsquohabitualresidencersquoasconnectingfactorthenewlawwillbringmorelegalcertaintytothemanyfamiliesconfrontedwithinternationalsuccessionsinEuroperdquotheCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaserstated
InitspositiontothislegislativeproposaltheCCBEhadwelcomedtheinitiativeoftheCommissiontoproposeanidenticalconnectingfactorconcerningjurisdictionandapplicablelawndashthedeceasedrsquoshabitualplaceofresidencendashandasingleschemefortheestateasawholeinordertoavoidthesystemofscission TheCCBEhadalsosup-portedtheCommissionrsquosintentiontoreducethepresentpossibilitiesforforumshoppingandtoprovidelegalcer-taintyincrossbordersuccessioncases
ThenewlawalsopavesthewayfortheintroductionoftheEuropeanCertificateofSuccessionwhichshouldresultinfasterandcheaperprocedures
Thenewregulationwillbedirectlyapplicable inallEUmemberstatesexceptDenmarkwhichhasanopt-out inmattersconcerningjusticeandhomeaffairsandtheUnitedKingdomandIrelandwhichdidnotoptintotheinitialproposalwithinthethreemonthssetoutinArticle3oftheProtocolonthepositiononthosetwomemberstates ThenewRegulationwillstartapplyingthreeyearsafteritsentryintoforce
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
8
Property rights of international couples
DuringitsStandingCommitteeon7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositionontheproposalsforCouncilregula-tions on jurisdiction applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of decisions inmatters ofmatrimonialpropertyregimes(COM(2011)1262)andregardingpropertyconsequencesofregisteredpartnerships(COM(2011)1272)
InMarch2012JusticeCommissionerVivianeRedingpresentedthesetwodraftregulationswhichweremeanttofacilitatelegalproceduresincasesconcerningcross-borderownership OneregulationconcernsEuropeanorinter-nationalmarriedcoupleswithpropertyinanEUstateotherthantheirstateoforiginandtheotherregulationreg-isteredcouplesalthoughonly14memberstatesrecogniseunionsotherthanmarriage WiththeseproposalstheEuropeanCommissionaimstobringlegalclaritytopropertyrightsformarriedinternationalcouplesandforregis-teredpartnershipswithaninternationaldimension InitspositiontheCCBEwelcomestheseproposalsandproposessomeamendmentsinordertoallowbettermove-mentofpersonswithgreaterlegalcertainty
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
IT Law
European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
On7SeptembertheCCBEadopteditspositiononthedataprotectionreformpackageproposedbytheEuropeanCommissioninJanuary2012andconsistingofbull aGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (replacingDirective9546EC)settingoutageneralEU framework for
dataprotectionandbull aDirective(replacingFrameworkDecision2008977JHA)settingoutrulesontheprotectionofpersonaldata
processed for the purposes of prevention detection investigation or prosecution of criminal offences andrelatedjudicialactivities
InitspositiontheCCBEcalledontheEUinstitutionstocreateasinglecomprehensiveandhighleveldataprotectionregimeratherthanhavingtwo separate regimes for civil matters and law enforcement mattersrespectively ldquoWeregretthattheCommissiondidnotchoosetoextendthegeneraldataprotectionrulestotheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoopera-tion incriminalmattersrdquosaid theCCBEPresidentMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser Sheadded ldquoLike theEuropeanDataProtectionSupervisorwebelievethattheprocessingofdataintheareasofpoliceandjudicialcoop-eration in criminalmatters requiresat leastasmuchprotectionaspro-vided under the proposed Regulation and not less under a separateDirectivegiventhespecificrisksforcitizens rdquo
RegardingtheproposedGeneralDataProtectionRegulationtheCCBEmadesomecommentsbasedontheneedtorespectprofessionalsecrecyandindependenceascorevaluesofthelawyersrsquoprofessiontosafeguardtherightsofcitizensandself-regulationasacorollaryofindependence ldquoOurprofessionprofoundlyrespectsthefundamentalrighttotheprotectionofpersonaldataandtheCCBEawareofitsresponsibilitiesinthisareahasissuedrecom-mendationsforbestpracticetoitsmembers HoweversomeoftheprovisionscontainedinthedraftRegulationdonotsufficientlytakeintoaccounttheguaranteesalreadyofferedbylawyerstotheirclientstheroleofBarsandLawSocietiesasregulatorsoftheprofessionandthepracticalproblemscreatedforlawyersinlightoftheprofessionalsecrecytowhichtheyareboundrdquosaidMarcellaPrunbauer-Glaser
Thisreformisafollow-uptothepublicconsultationwhichtheEuropeanCommissionheldinNovember2010follow-ing the publication of its Communication called ldquoA comprehensive approach on personal data protection in theEuropeanUnionrdquo InitsresponsetothatconsultationtheCCBEurgedtheEuropeaninstitutionstotakeintoaccountanumberofguidelineswhenshapingEuropersquoslegalframeworkonthefundamentalrighttoprotectionofpersonaldata
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
9
CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
DuringtheStandingCommitteeon7September2012theCCBEadoptedasetofguidelinesontheuseofcloudcomputingservicesby lawyers Cloudcomputing isageneral term for IT infrastructure that involvesstoringand
processing data and software remotely in the cloud providerrsquos data centre orinterlinkedcentresaccessedasaservicebyusingtheInternet Alongsidemanysignificantbenefitscloudcomputingalsobrings itsownsetof risksandchal-lengesforlawyersmostsignificantlyinrelationfirsttoquestionsofdataprotec-tion second to professional obligations of confidentiality and third to otherprofessionalandregulatoryobligationsincumbentonthelawyer
TheCCBE believes it is imperative that lawyerswhen considering deployingcloudcomputingintheirofficestakenecessarystepstoensurethattheconcernsidentifiedinthepaperareadequatelyaddressed Neverthelesslikeotherconsu-mers lawyerswilloftennotknowenoughtobecertainthatsecuritymeasuresaresufficient WithinthiscontexttheCCBEhasdevelopedthissetofguidelines
ontheuseofcloud-computingservicesbylawyers TheCCBEguidelinesareintendedtomakelawyersmoremind-fulofthevariousrisksassociatedwithcloudcomputingandtoassisttheminmakinginformedtechnologydecisions
Assuchtheguidelinesincluderecommendationsastothetypeofprecautionarymeasureslawyersneedtotakewhenconsideringtheuseofcloudcomputingsuchas
bull Preliminaryexaminationofcloudcomputingservicese g theexperiencereputationregisteredaddressprovi-dersrsquosolvencyreliabilityownershipandcapitaladequacylocalisationofthestoringservers
bull Comparingexistingin-houseITinfrastructurewithcloudservices bull Assessmentofabilitytorecoverdataintheeventofthefailureofthecloudserviceproviderfailureofthelaw
firmorcontractualdisputebetweentheproviderandlawfirm bull Contractualprecautionse g systemavailabilitydeadlines forerrorcorrectionsandremovalofmalfunctions
exclusionofengagementofsub-contractorswithoutpriorconsentownershipofdatastoredandexclusiverightofaccessnon-disclosureobligationsback-updisasterrecoverycontingencyplanapplicablelawandjurisdic-tion
bull Transparencyinsomejurisdictionsalawyersmaybeunderadutytoseekclientconsent
Cloud computing on the EU agenda
CloudcomputinghasalsobeenpartoftheDigitalAgendaoftheEuropeanCommissionandon27SeptemberthecloudcomputingstrategywaspublishedinaCommunicationcalledlsquoUnleashingthepotentialofcloudcomputinginEuropersquo Keyactionsofthestrategyinclude
bull Standards and certification development oftechnicalstandardssothatcloudusersenjoyinteroperabilitydataportabilityand reversibi-lity
bull SafeandFairContractTermsandConditionsdevelopmentofmodelcontracttermstocoverissuessuchasdatapreservationafter termi-nation of the contract data disclosure andintegritydatalocationandtransferownershipofthedatadirectandindirectliabilitychangeofservicebycloudprovidersandsubcontrac-ting
bull EstablishingaEuropeanCloudPartnershiptodrive innovation and growth from the publicsector driving the first steps towards betterpublic procurement of cloud services inEurope based on common definitions ofrequirementsandpossiblyeventuallygoingasfarasjointprocurementacrossborders
TheITLawCommitteeiscloselyfollowinganydevelopmentinthisareathatmaybeusefulforlawyerstocomplywiththeirregulatoryrequirementssuchassafeandfairstandardcontracttermsandconditions
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
10
Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
TheEuropeanCommissionpublisheditsproposalforaRegulationldquoonelectronicidentificationandtrustedservicesforelectronic transactions in the internalmarketrdquo Theproposalwillnowgo through theordinary legislativepro-cedureforitsadoptionbyco-decisionoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil
ThisRegulationisintendedtobeacomprehensivecross-borderandcross-sectorframeworkforsecuretrustworthyandeasy-to-useelectronictransactionsthatencompasseselectronicidentificationauthenticationandsignatures
Amongotherthingsthenewframeworkforelectronicidentificationandelectronictrustserviceswill
bull Ensuremutualrecognitionandacceptanceofelectronicidentificationacrossbordersbull Givelegaleffectandmutualrecognitiontotrustservicesincludingenhancingcurrentrulesone-signaturesand
providinga legal framework forelectronic seals timestampingelectronicdocumentacceptabilityelectronicdeliveryandwebsiteauthentication
ThisRegulationisbeingproposedinthecontextoftheDigitalAgendaforEuropeandasafollow-uptotheconsul-tationthatwaslaunchedbytheEuropeanCommissioninFebruary2011regardingelectronicidentificationauthen-ticationandsignatures TheCCBErepliedtothatconsultationbysubmittingageneralresponseraisingsomegen-eral issuesandpointsof concern from the legalprofessionrsquospointofview
Thecurrentproposalrepresentsthefirstmilestoneintheimplementa-tionoftheobjectivesoftheLegislationTeam(eIDAS)TaskForcesetupbytheCommissioninordertodeliverapredictableregulatoryenviron-mentforelectronicidentificationandtrustservicesforelectronictrans-actionsintheinternalmarkettoboosttheuserconveniencetrustandconfidenceinthedigitalworld
TheITLawCommitteeiscurrentlyreviewingthisproposalandworkingonaCCBEpositionpaperwhichshouldbeadopted in thecourseof2012
Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
On10MaytheCounciladoptedadirectivesettingupasystemfortheinterconnectionofcentralcommercialandcompanyregistersaimedatimprovingaccesstoup-to-dateandtrustworthyinformationoncompanies
UnderthenewdirectiveallEUmemberstatesengageinenablingelectroniccommunicationbetweenregistersandtransmittinginformationtoindividualusersinastandardisedwaybymeansofidenticalcontentandinteroperabletechnologiesthroughouttheEU
The interoperabilityof registersshouldbeensured through theMemberStatesrsquodeliveryof information fromtheirregistersbyprovidingserviceswhichwillconstituteinterfacestoaEuropeancentralplatform Thisplatformwillbeacentralisedsetofinformationtechnologytoolsandservicesusedbyalldomesticregisters TheEuropeane-Jus-ticePortalwillserveasoneoftheelectronicaccesspoints Companiesandtheirbranchesinothermemberstateswillhaveauniqueidentifierthatallowsthemtobeunequiv-ocallyidentified
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactSimoneCuomo(cuomoccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
11
PECO
Slovenia
On27August2012theCCBEsentalettertotheSlovenianauthoritiestoexpressitscon-cernabouttheintentionoftheSloveniangovernmenttoabolishmandatorymembershipintheBarandtotransfercertaincompetenciesoftheBartostateorstate-influencedauthori-ties TheCCBEstressedtheimportanceofmandatorymembershipasapre-requisiteofaself-regulatedandproperlyindependentBar IturgedtheSloveniangovernmentnottocon-siderabolishingmandatoryBarmembership
Croatia
InSeptember2012theCroatianBarAssociationaddressedtheCCBEwiththerequesttoassistthelegalprofessionconcerninggovernmentproposalswhichconsidertheintroductionoffiscalcashregistersforlawyers InalettertothePrimeMinisterandtheMinisterofJusticeof the Republic of Croatia the CCBE expressed its concern about these proposals itexplainedthatsuchfiscalcashregisterswouldbecontrarytoindependenceoftheprofes-sionandtheywouldputatriskthelawyerrsquosdutytoprofessionalsecrecywhichisessentialtoeverylawyer-clientrelationship
Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
InMay2012theCouncilofEuropereleasedtheReportldquoTheProfessionofLawyerrdquo ThisReportfocusesonissuessuchastheroleofBarAssociationsaccesstotheprofessionoflawyerinitialandcontinuoustrainingoflawyersdisciplinaryliabilityoflawyers Thereportalsocontainsanoverviewofdevelopmentsandmaintrendsmainobsta-cles and recommendations for implementation of the European standards in theEastern Partnership countriesnamelyArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineandBelarusasregardstheprofessionoflawyer
ThisReportistheresultoftheCouncilofEuropeEuropeanUnionJointProgrammeentitledldquoEnhancingjudicialreformintheEasternPartnershipcountriesrdquolaunchedon11March2011 ItsaimwastopromotetheimplementationofEuropeanstandardsonindependenceprofessionalismandefficiencyofthejudiciaryinsixbeneficiarycountries
CCBE experts participated in the meetings of working groups that analysed whether the laws in the EasternPartnership countries are up toEuropean standards Theymeasured themagainst theUNbasic principles theConventionofHumanRightstheCouncilofEuroperecommendationsonlawyerstheCCBECodeofConductandotherrelevantinstruments
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactSieglindeGamsjaeger(gamsjaegerccbe eu)
Projects
Find-A-Lawyer project
TheFind-A-Lawyer (FAL)projectendedon4April2012 TheEuropeanCommission (EC)approved the final report presentedby theCCBEonFALinAugust2012 Atthetimeofcompletion16barswereupandrun-ning and othersweremaking the necessary technical arrangements tointegrate their national solutions into theFALSearchEngine (FALSE) RecentlytheItalianbarhascompleteditsintegrationintheFALSEanditisexpectedthatinduecoursemoreGreekbarswilljointheAthensbarwhichisalreadyintegratedinFALSE AlthoughFALhasldquoofficiallyrdquoended(sincethecontractwiththeEuropeanCommissioncametoanend)the
CCBEiscontinuingtoprovideforthosenationalbarswhicharenotcurrentlyinFALtheopportunitytojoinit TheEChasstartedtobuildtheFALSEintheEuropeane-Justiceportal
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-
ccbe-infondeg312012
12
e-CODEX
Thee-CODEXprojectwhichisagovernment-ledEU-fundedprojecttolinknationale-justicesystemsinEuropeisapproachingitspilotphase Duringthispilotphase(scheduledtostartinJanuary2013)reallifescenarioswillbetestedextensively Uponcompletionofthepilotphaseanevaluationwillbedoneandfurtheradaptationswillbeundertakenbeforemakingthesystemavailable ThepilotphasewillstartwiththetestingoftwocivilusescasesthesmallclaimsprocedureandtheEuropeanPaymentorder TheCCBEisgladtoseethatsofarlawyershavebeenfullyintegratedintothesetrialcasesasmainactorsine-justiceapplications
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Future e-Justice projects
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublisheditsldquoImplementingDecisionontheawardingofactiongrantsforspecifictransnationalandnationalprojectswithintheframeofthespecificCriminalJusticeprogramme(callforproposals2011-2012)rdquo AccordingtothisDecisiontwoCCBEproposalsfordevelopinge-JusticeprojectshavebeenawardedFind-A-Lawyer2(FAL2)andtheEuropeanTrainingPlatform(ETP)
TheobjectiveofFAL2istobuildaprototypewhichwillusetheFALSearchEngineasatoolforverifyingtheiden-tityoflawyersine-justiceapplications Whenalawyersignsasalawyer(filingaclaimetc )inane-procedure(e g inasmallclaimsprocedure)thesystemwillcheckwhetheralawyerisgenuinebysearchingFAL FAL2waspre-sentedinthecontextofdevelopmentsinotherECprojectssuchase-CODEX
RegardingETPthisprojectconsistsofbuildinganITplatformthatwillincreasethelevelandaccessibilityofinforma-tiononavailabletrainingcoursesforlegalprofessionals ByprovidingaEuropeanoverviewofrelevanttrainingforthepractitionertheplatformwillpromotetrainingoflegalpractitionerscross-borderandwillthereforehelptopro-mote-atpractitionerlevel-knowledgeofhowEUandnationallawispractisedandadministeredinotherMemberStateswithintheparticularitiesofeachMemberStatersquosjudicialsystem
ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactAlonsoHernaacutendez-Pinzoacuten(pinzonccbe eu)
Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European UnionOn 27 August the CCBE met with key contacts on justice issues at thePermanentRepresentation ofCyprus to theEuropeanUnion Themeetingwasanopportunity to learnabout theworkprogrammeandprioritiesof thePresidencyandtoinformthemabouttheCCBErsquosrelevantconcernsandrec-ommendations The discussion particularly revolved around the right ofaccesstoalawyerincriminalproceedingsanti-moneylaunderingdatapro-tection lsquoBrussels Irsquo the patrimonial consequences ofmarriages and regis-teredpartnershipstheproposedCommonEuropeanSalesLawande-identi-ficationine-transactions
TheCypriotPresidencywasrepresentedatourStandingCommitteeof7SeptemberinLimassol(Cyprus)wheretheCyprusAttorneyGeneralMrPetrosCleridesopened thesessionwithapresentationof theprioritiesof thePresidencyintheareaofjustice
ForfurtherquestionspleasecontactAntoineFobe(fobeccbe eu)
- Court of Justice of the European Union Decision on in-house counsel
- Permanent Delegation to the Courts in Luxembourg (PD Lux)
-
- Rules of Procedure
- Practical advice for Advocates before the Court of Justice
- Draft accession to the ECHR
-
- Independent study on economic significance of legal services
- Access to justice
-
- Conference on lsquoJustice in austerity challenges and opportunities for access to justicersquo
-
- Anti-money laundering
-
- Proposal for a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
- Michaud case
- FATF Consultation
-
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Council of Europe
-
- CEPEJ report evaluating the functioning of the European judicial systems
- CCBErsquos 117th Plenary Session will be hosted by the European Court of Human Rights
-
- Criminal law
-
- Access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings
-
- European Private Law
-
- European lawyers welcome the Common European Sales Law proposal and suggest wider scope
-
- Family amp Successions Law
-
- Adopted regulation on international successions
- Property rights of international couples
-
- IT Law
-
- European lawyers call for a single and comprehensive data protection regime
- CCBE adopts guidelines on the use of cloud computing services by lawyers
- Cloud computing on the EU agenda
- Cross-border e-identification and e-signature services
- Adoption Directive on the interconnection of business registers
-
- PECO
-
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Council of Europe Report ldquoThe Profession of Lawyerrdquo
-
- Projects
-
- Find-A-Lawyer project
- e-CODEX
- Future e-Justice projects
-
- Contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union
-