TAIEX seminars on “The principle of the rule of law” (January 2009 - June 2009)

A series of seminars took place in the Balkans and Turkey over the last six months. They were organised by the European Commission (TAIEX), in cooperation with the CCBE.  The seminars debated issues such as ‘The conception of the rule of law within the legal profession and in general’; ‘The Independence – necessity for the legal profession’; ‘Self regulation, structure and functions of Bars – the importance for the functional legal profession’; ‘How to ensure good qualifications of lawyers?’; ‘How to be a successful lawyer?’; ‘How to fight corruption in relation to the legal profession?’; ‘Access to Justice’. The seminars were designed for lawyers, judges and Ministry of Justice representatives, and aimed at enhancing cooperation within the legal profession and providing local legal practitioners with an opportunity for discussion and exchange of views with EU experts on rule of law topics. The first seminar was successfully implemented in Podgorica, Montenegro, in January 2009; others followed:  Tirana, Albania, 7-8 May 2009; Belgrade, Serbia, 21-22 May 2009; and Ankara, Turkey, 4-5 June 2009.

August 2009- CCBE expresses support for Kazakh lawyer

The CCBE sent a letter to the Chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee and the Minister of Justice of Kazakhstan on 12 August 2009,  concerning a lawyer who faces disbarment for critical statements he made to the mass media on the Kazakh law on state secrecy.  The CCBE stressed in the letter the importance about safeguarding the freedom of expression of lawyers and the independence of the Bar Association.

June 2009 - European Union-Kazakhstan Civil Society Human Rights Seminar

The 1st European Union-Kazakhstan Civil Society Human Rights seminar was held in Almaty on 29 and 30 June 2009. Around seventy people participated in this seminar, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), public authorities and experts from a number of EU countries, Russia and former Soviet Union countries. The CCBE was represented by Fernando Piernavieja Niembro, Chair of the CCBE Access to Justice Committee and member of the Criminal Law and Human Rights Committees. The seminar essentially dealt with two issues: “The Judicial System” and “Conditions of Detention”. Participants have acknowledged on this occasion the importance of the human rights dimension of the EU-Kazakhstan strategic partnership and of the role placed on CSOs in this partnership. They stressed the role of the dialogue between civil society and national authorities, at national level, through enabling civil society to have a stronger input in drafting of laws during this process. Based on European and International standards and related case-law, the participants and the experts worked on several recommendations addressed to the Republic of Kazakhstan and its state authorities.

February 2009 - The President of the Union of Advocates of Kazakhstan (UAK), Tugel Anuar, participated in the CCBE roundtable on the Ukrainian law on the Bar on 26 September 2008 in Kyiv, and expressed his interest in the work of the CCBE in further contacts with the CCBE. He was invited to the PECO meeting in February in Vienna. The President reported about the general political and economic situation of his country and the developments which have taken place within the UAK in recent years. The CCBE considers it important to keep contact and exchange information with the UAK.