Given the ever increasing importance of European legislation, it is indispensable for the DAV to be effectively represented at the European level. Therefore, the DAV office in Brussels ensures since 1997 that the voice and concerns of German lawyers are heard in the European decision-making process. In particular, we follow all matters regarding professional law and regulation for lawyers as well as the areas of law that particularly affect the daily practice of lawyers (e.g. procedural law in criminal and civil matters). However, we also monitor a range of more general issues regarding legal politics, such as the rule of law or fundamental rights.
Lobbying
We work in cooperation with the representatives for EU affairs in the DAV legislative committees to establish positions on European key topics. We then represent these positions by participating in public consultations and expert groups during the preparatory phase of legislative proposals. Our legislative committees also produce position papers on initiatives in different stages of the legislative procedure and we participate in hearings with our experts. Finally, an important part of our work consists in directly communicating our positions to the decision-makers in the Commission, Parliament and the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU.
Cooperation with other organisations
To represent our interests more effectively, we also build coalitions with other Bar Associations and Law Societies represented in Brussels, such as the Delegation des Barreaux de France, the UK Law Societies Joint Office or the Italian Bar. We also exercise our influence on European law-making through the Council of Bars and Law societies of Europe (CCBE), which is located in the same building as the DAV Brussels office. The DAV is also a member of other European lawyer organisations such as the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) and the European Corporate Lawyers Association (ECLA).
Services to DAV members
In addition to this, the Brussels office is also a service provider to all DAV members on any EU-related questions. One example of this concerns questions regarding the establishment as a lawyer in another member state. Beyond the advice we can provide on this subject, we also recommend the very helpful Guide on the Free Movement of Lawyers edited by the CCBE. Through our weekly newsletter “Europa im Überblick(published in German) we also inform our subscribers about important European developments from the point of view of the German legal profession.