Following the proposal made by Working Group I it was decided to found the ELI as an Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif (AISBL) under Belgian law. A Statute and a Manifesto for the ELI were adopted, and the first ELI Council was appointed. The discussions in Athens were moderated by Dr. Irmgard Griss, President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the EU, and by Professor Reinhard Zimmermann, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law.