The European Commission has begun work on an online service to help train EU lawyers in cross-border European law or the law of another member state.

The European Training Platform will cost £177,000, including a contribution of £35,400 from the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which is to build the website.

After a pilot project it will form part of the European Commission’s e-Justice web portal.

A spokesman for the CCBE said: ‘Money spent on education and training is never money wasted: this initiative has been greeted with enthusiasm because it meets a real need expressed by lawyers and training providers.’