The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), in the light of the discussions which are taking place at the EU Council concerning the proposal for the European Union Patent Court and the Unitary Patent, is concerned that the proposed system in the current Draft Agreement on a Unified Patent Court will not meet the goals of being accessible and affordable, especially for SMEs, nor meet basic requirements of legal certainty. The CCBE position paper outlining these grounds in greater detail can be found here. 

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has adopted its response to the European Commission’s draft Directive to establish minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime in the EU. The CCBE response can be found here. 

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has now adopted a response in regard to the European Commission’s consultation on the review of the money laundering directive.  The CCBE response can be found here. 

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) is alarmed with the recent position taken by five Member States regarding the proposed Directive on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest. The five Member States – France, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland – expressed “serious reservations about the Commission’s approach” which, in their view, “would present substantial difficulties for the effective conduct of criminal proceedings”. This is despite the fact that two of the five countries (the United Kingdom and Ireland) would be concerned only if they chose to opt in the Directive. The CCBE has issued detailed comments in response to the issues raised by the five Member States.
 

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has adopted its comments on the European Court of Justice’s proposed draft changes to its Rules of Procedure.