Maria Ślązak, President of the European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) attended the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year that was held in Hong Kong on January 21-22, 2024.
Our Association was invited to join this prestigious ceremony by the Law Society of Hong Kong – just like in the previous years.
It was the first Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year after COVID-19 restrictions. It was attended by 100 guests representing many associations of lawyers from around 20 jurisdictions.
Maria Ślązak was one of the speakers at the event called the Presidents’ Roundtable, organized during this ceremony.
Following the online meeting on learning about the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and using it effectively in practice by the AEA-EAL, the Białystok Bar Association of Attorneys-at-Law and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the study visit was organized at the FRA seat in Vienna on January 18, 2024.
The visit was organized by the Białystok Bar Association of Attorneys-at-Law (AEA-EAL collective member) and was attended by 7 attorneys-at-law of the Białystok Bar, led by its Dean Joanna Kamieńska, as well as 2 attorneys-at-law each from the Warsaw Bar and the Kraków Bar.
The delegation heard a lecture on procedural rights of cooperation in criminal matters. The lecture also covered the Agency’s research and reports, sources and methods of obtaining knowledge, and research trends.
Another topic of the lecture was violations of environmental protection laws. The Agency points out the need to build public awareness of greenwashing. The Agency implements projects focused on research related to a sustainable green deal, with procedural problems regarding liability for violations.
The visit also included a joint sightseeing tour of Vienna.
As a follow-up of the AEA-EAL – OIRP Białystok – FRA online meeting (Learning about the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and using it effectively in practice), we are delighted to invite Polish speaking colleagues to the Study visit to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), that will take place on January 18, 2024, in Vienna (Austria). The meeting will be held in partnership with OIRP Białystok and is dedicated to cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters and the protection of the environment.
This is a wonderful time of the year in Vienna as the carnival season is in its peak. The tradition of Carnival balls dates back over 100 years and is still alive in the city.
Our colleagues from OIRP Białystok organize an additional attraction – a guided tour in Vienna. The tour will take place the next day after the visit to FRA, on January 19, 2024 (Friday) between 10:00 and 14:00 CET. The meeting point for starting the tour will be Hotel Bellevue at 10:00 CET.
The visit to FRA is free of charge. Also the guided tour is free of charge for the participants of the event.
Please confirm your participation until January 11, 2024, on the following e-mail: office@aea-eal.eu
Agenda for the study visit:
14:00-14:30 – REGISTRATION
14:30-15:00 – FRA work on cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters including defence rights (in Polish) – Matylda Pogorzelska
15:00-15:15 – Q&A
15:15-15:45 – FRA work on the protection of the environment (in Polish) – Patrycja Pogodzinska
15:45-16:00 – Q&A
16:00-16:15 – BREAK
16:15-16:45 – FRA tools and material on the Charter (in English) – Sanja Jovicic
Napisane przez office w dniu . Opublikowano w News.
We kindly invite you to participate in the First Annual CharterXchange, organised by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in collaboration with the European Commission.
The event is scheduled to take place online from 11 to 13 December 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 CET.
This is a set of three 1-hour seminars:
The EU Charter in the Courtroom: Dialogue with Judges.
The Charter and strategic litigation: learning from practice.
It takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and is available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Responses are confidential (so individual responses will not be released, shared or published). Questionnaire results will be reported in aggregate data sets.
On November 10th, 2023, the International Conference – Business and Human Rights for Legal Practitioners took place in Tbilisi, Georgia. This event, organized by the European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) in partnership with the Georgian Bar Association (GBA), received support from various entities, including the UN Global Compact Network Georgia, UN OHCHR, Council of Europe, USAID Rule of Law Program, and the Solidarity Center.
Mr. David Asatiani, the Chairman of the Georgian Bar Association, set the tone for the conference with his opening address. Amid welcoming the attendees, Mr. Asatiani notably emphasized the critical importance of understanding the intersection between business and human rights within the realm of legal practice. This focus underscored the evolving landscape of legal responsibilities and challenges faced by lawyers in the contemporary world. Mr. Asatiani highlighted the essential need for lawyers to comprehend the dynamics between business activities and human rights issues to provide effective legal counsel and contribute to the promotion of ethical business practices. His emphasis served as a call to action for legal professionals in attendance to deepen their understanding of the complexities inherent in this intersection.
The conference drew participation from more than 170 individuals, including lawyers, members of the Executive Board of the Georgian Bar Association, Ethics Commission representatives, and legal professionals from various countries, such as Austria, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Italy. Notably, delegations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan specifically attended the conference in Georgia. The conference also had the honor of hosting Georgia’s Minister of Justice, who addressed the participants, underscoring the increasing significance of acknowledging the intersection between business and human rights as a crucial element of professional competence. The opening remarks by the representatives of the donor organizations were followed by welcoming speeches from the Bar Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, respectively.
The conference featured sessions that delved into critical aspects of business and human rights. The first session, focusing on the International Legal Framework and Emerging Case-Law Regarding Business and Human Rights, featured distinguished panelists such as Salome Zurabishvili, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Georgia, Alix Frank-Thomasser, Member of the Managing Board of the Vienna Bar and Besarion Bokhashvili, Human Rights Officer at UN OHCHR. Mr. Giorgi Tsekhani, Executive Director of the Georgian Bar Association, moderated the session.
The second session concentrated on environmental law, with discussions centering on recent developments in environmental case law and legal challenges encountered in environmental litigation. Esteemed experts such as Jean Marc-Gollier, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the CCBE; Tamar Alania, Judge at the Tbilisi Court of Appeal; and Ketevan Vardosanidze, Climate Law and Policy Researcher, led the discussions. Mr. Giorgi Chkheidze, Chief of Party of the USAID Rule of Law Program, moderated the session.
The third session explored labor rights concerning the intersection of business and human rights, providing a comprehensive review of international standards and the challenges faced by labor rights in this context. Speakers for this session included Lara Douvartzidis, Lawyer at the International Bar Association; Nato Natenadze, First Deputy Head of the Labour Inspection Office of Georgia; Tamar Gabisonia, Regional Coordinator for Europe and Central Asia at Solidarity Center, and Sharaf Mammadova, Lawyer of the Azerbaijani Bar Association.
The fourth session involved the presentation of theCouncil of Europe HELP Platform and an introduction to the HELP Business and Human Rights Course, led by Mr. Levan Meskhoradze -Senior Project Officer at the Council of Europe.
The Executive Director of the Georgian Bar Association concluded the conference by expressing thanks to the distinguished experts and participants, international donor organizations who supported the event as well as to the European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) and its President – Maria Slazak under whose initiative the conference was organized in Tbilisi.
In conclusion, the conference served as a valuable platform for promotion the issue of business and human rights among legal professionals as well as knowledge exchange and the reinforcement of a network dedicated to advancing professional values, upholding the rule of law, and protecting human rights.
AEA-EAL together with the Georgian Bar Association invite you to attend the International Conference on Business and Human Rights, which will take place on November 10, 2023, in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The purpose of the Conference is to bring together lawyers and legal practitioners from different countries with the aim of developing knowledge, exchange experience, and build a network for the promotion of professional values, rule of law and human rights.
The Conference on Business and Human Rights is organized with support of the UN Global Compact Network Georgia, UN OHCHR, Council of Europe and USAID. The comprehensive details regarding the Conference is available in the attached Brochure as well as on the following website:
On August 29, 2023 virtual meeting/webinar was organized by the Law Society of Hong Kong. The meeting was dedicated to an important issue “Women in Leadership”.
Our president, Maria Ślązak was invited as the speaker, among others who were:
Dr. Pinky ANAND – Former Additional Solicitor-General of India.
Ms. Christina BLACKLAWS – Former President, The Law Society of England & Wales.
Ms. Karen CHEAH – President, The Malaysian Bar.
Ms. Lisa SAM – Vice President, The Law Society of Singapore.
Speakers of the meeting focused on sharing insights and experience of their jurisdictions in promoting women in leadership within the legal industry. During the webinar discussion focused on the following:
What are the challenges in promoting women in leadership within the legal profession – practice in different jurisdictions.
What are the measures to overcome these challenges?
Different practices of how to attract women to leadership roles?
Sharing personal experience in promoting gender equality in workplace/industry?
In her speech President Ślązak highlighted the importance of cooperation between European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) and the Law Society of Hong-Kong. She mentioned that “If we women – leaders from various countries and even continents, will cooperate regularly, we have a chance to facilitate carriers of some young, ambitious ladies. In consequence, the percentage of women in the leaders’ position will increase, and this is what we are looking for”. European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) will also consider to organize information sharing event regarding up mentioned significant topic.
