The meeting was opened by Jacques Isnard, president of the UIHJ. The agenda was as follows:
- 1. Administrative reorganisation of UIHJ Euromed
- 2. Installation of the guide, the directory and Euromed Intranet
- 3. Euromed organisation
- 4. Seminars of comparative law
- 5. Euromed extension
- 6. Topic and place of the next session
1. Administrative reorganisation of UIHJ Euromed
The president points out that since the creation of UIHJ Euromed the secretariat is ensured by Stephan Gensollen and Mourad Skander, thus respecting a representation of Europe and Africa.
Currently two organisations sui generis were born:
UIHJ Euromed however remains the only official organisation of the UIHJ, resulting from the Process of Barcelona.
The President wishes that the topics approached by these organisations be as similar as possible to be able to draw relevant reports from them.
For this coordination and supervision, a position of permanent delegate within the board of the UIHJ will be created and is allotted to Mourad Skander.
The secretariat of UIHJ Euromed will be ensured by Francoise Andrieux.
The secretariat will be charged to approach the political authorities in order to know and follow the options of France (in particular of its new policy concerning the Mediterranean arc), of the European Union and Brussels in order to determine how UIHJ Euromed could be integrated.
2. Leaflet, Directory, Intranet
The utility of the directory relates to the transmission of documents abroad.
The goal is to inter-connect the directories of the various Member States of UIHJ Euromed.
The first difficulty in this installation is financial. The ways to achieve this cheaply will be looked into.
The leaflets for the attention of companies are all distributed. Before considering a reprint, it is advisable to check if any modifications are required to improve them. They will be then published in 5 languages: French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, and Greek.
The leaflet must take into account of the answers provided on the questionnaire distributed to the various countries (to this day, Spain still did not answer).
3. Euromed Organisation
The current principle is maintained. The country which invites pays for the conference rooms and the meals. Each delegation ensures the payment of its housing and transport. This is the minimal requirement (nothing prevents the host country from participating beyond). On the other hand the number of official participants is limited to 5 people per delegation except for the organising country which can invite as many fellow-members as it wishes.
As regard works, it would be wise to extend their unfolding over three days:
- A first half-day will be devoted to the economic part and thus left on the initiative of the organising country
- The following day will be devoted to the comparative law compared on the topic set by UIHJ-Euromed
- The third half-day will be devoted to the administrative part of Euromed.
4. Seminars of Comparative Law
It is necessary to preserve the memory of UIHJ Euromed and its work.
The speakers will have to provide a written support of their contribution that they will address to the secretariat of UIHJ Euromed at least eight days before their intervention.
With the oral examination, work must take the shape of a round table including four workshops made up of a regulator and four speakers, the aim being to have interventions which thereafter will cause exchanges, questions and debates from the audience.
Mr Sherif, president of the national Chamber of the judicial officers of Algeria would wish that at the end of the debates, recommendations be put forth, or that the main ideas on the various suggested topics be mentioned for each country to follow.
These recommendations will be transmitted to the board of the UIHJ, via the permanent delegate EURO (MED, DANUBE, NORTH).
5. Extension of UIHJ Euromed
The current members of UIHJ Euromed are: Algeria, Spain, France, Greece, Morocco, Portugal, and Tunisia. Cyprus and Italy did not sign the Charter yet.
Although a member, Morocco has difficulties to ensure its representation. If there is a national representation, its adhesion is not mandatory. Therefore, its decisions are not binding for the profession.
It is necessary to extend UIHJ Euromed. The following States are concerned: Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Turkey.
President Eftimios Preketes (Greece) proposes Albania and Serbia.
President Isnard states that he is not opposed to the arrival of these countries but that it is up to them to initiate the process.
As regards Turkey, President Preketes undertakes to obtain the necessary information and will make a report at the time of the Paris permanent council of the UIHJ in November 2007.
6. Topic And Location Of The Next Meeting
The next session of UIHJ Euromed will take place in April 2008. It will have as a topic the obligations to do or not to do.
Three countries present their candidature for the organisation: Algeria, France and Portugal.
The President points out that because of the conference which will take place in Algiers in February 2008 (interest and independence of the occupation of judicial officer) it will perhaps not be convenient to organise the session of UIHJ Euromed two months later at the same place.
He suggests in deciding on the location later.
