Membership Type:
Institutional Fellow
Address:
Rue Joseph II straat 40
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Telephone:
+32 (0)2 234 65 10
Fax:
+32 (0)2 234 65 11
or +32 (0)2 234 65 12
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) is the representative organisation of around one million European lawyers through its member bars and law societies from 31 full member countries, and eleven further associate and observer countries.
The CCBE was founded in 1960, as the ramifications of the European Economic Community on the legal profession started to be considered seriously. During the decades which followed and through to the present day, the CCBE has been in the forefront of advancing the views of European lawyers and defending the legal principles upon which democracy and the rule of law are based. The CCBE is an international non-profit-making association incorporated in Belgium.
The CCBE is recognised as the voice of the European legal profession by the national bars and law societies on the one hand, and by the EU institutions on the other. It acts as the liaison between the EU and Europe's national bars and law societies. The CCBE has regular institutional contact with the European Commission officials, and members and staff at the European Parliament who deal with issues affecting the legal profession.
In addition, the CCBE works closely with legal organisations outside Europe.