COUNCIL OF BARS AND LAW SOCIETIES OF EUROPE: ASSEMBLY


The first Europe-wide foundation dedicated to protecting the rule of law across member states looks set to be established by the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), it emerged during last weekend's bi-annual general assembly in Budapest.



Delegates were told the foundation would be based in Belgium as a Foundation of Public Utility. Such a body can only be founded by royal decree, giving it immediate legitimacy in the eyes of donors - such as the European Commission, World Bank, national development agencies, private foundations and law firms. The sole overhead would be the director's salary, as the new foundation would share the CCBE's Brussels office and the support of its secretariat.



CCBE president Peter Koves said: 'We are now beyond the point of no return where supporting the rule of law is concerned. Establishment by royal decree will give the foundation the necessary status to attract funding and we can press ahead with confidence.'



However, Hugh Mercer QC at Essex Court Chambers, who headed the UK delegation, warned against committing to the foundation too soon. 'We plan to ask big names to sponsor us, but as a new foundation we can't show the same track record of successful rule-of-law projects as the International Bar Association or American Bar Association.



'We need to test the waters carefully - or risk incurring costs that we cannot afford.'



Final approval for the European rule of law foundation is scheduled for the CCBE plenary session in November.



Jonathan Rayner