Introduction

The Convention of Mediterranean Jurists is an annual meeting that brings together the group of Mediterranean legal cultures and traditions, and predominantly that of continental law.

It is also the venue where legal professionals and international legal cooperation organizations meet and build ties for developing joint projects. Likewise, legal professionals work toward dialogue and the convergence of legal systems as vehicles of legal certainty and as key elements of Mediterranean economic growth.

Targeted Actions

• In June, 2008, the Fondation pour le droit continental organized the First Convention of Mediterranean Jurists. 

From the standpoint of the legal professionals, the Union for the Mediterranean (UFM) project seemed to be the perfect opportunity to call attention to existence and synergize their efforts to increase awareness of business realities, particularly in commerce. This initiative was further expanded to a second dimension, that of forging links between networks of legal professionals and the large international organizations having an interest in legal cooperation throughout the Mediterranean area.

Accordingly, the governing professional bodies, namely the European Bar Federation, the EuroMed Notary Network, the International Union of Bailiffs, INSOL (professional association for European restructuring and insolvency specialists), academic networks, as well as the World Bank, the European Council and its development bank, the UNDP, the EIB, the EBRD, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, UNCITRAL, and WIPO, enjoy a high level of representation. Over one hundred participants were able to hear Jacques Barrot, European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, Henry Marty-Gauquié, a Representative of the EIB Group,  Mr. Vincent Lamanda, the first President of the Court of Cassation, through the Network of the Presidents of Supreme Courts, and Mr. Fathy Sorour, President of the Egyptian People’s Assembly. All of the legal professions from 18 different countries exchanged ideas on thirty concrete projects already implemented across the Mediterranean region.

Three lines of action arose from this convention:

- First, the legal professionals highlighted all of the structures allowing for sustained idea-sharing among them, especially on the topic of professional training and management of the operational capacities of national courts.

- The second axis was that of Mediterranean legal convergence, based on the fact that in the areas of contract law and commercial law, the systems of the region are already very similar. Among the concrete proposals accepted at the Convention was the idea of extending the European orders for payment system o, along with the creation of an arbitral tribunal founded on an investment charter as well as the strengthening of enforcement measures.

- Lastly, the third axis was that of the crucial legal aspect of the already-announced projects within the framework of the  UFM: environmental law, renewable energy law, sea routes, and transport security.

The participants, who represent several thousand legal professionals, subsequently signed a Joint Declaration that was endorsed by nearly three hundred signatures. This Declaration was forwarded to the assembled heads of state and government on July 13, 2008,  urging that they commit to supporting the development of the rule of law and the sustainable growth of the Mediterranean region.

President Sorour closed this convention by inviting participants to boost their efforts in coordinating their projects and to meet again in October, 2009.

• In October, 2009, the Second Convention of Mediterranean Jurists  was held in Cairo, and focused on the topic: "Continental Law: Innovative Solutions to the World Economic Crisis.”

For three days, over 200 legal professionals from the Euro-Mediterranean zone—judges, academics, notaries, company lawyers, and bailiffs—exchanged ideas regarding the benefits of Continental Law in the wake of the world economic crisis.

It is in effect the stated goal of the Fondation pour le droit continental to merge law and economic competitiveness and thereby contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on efficient legal concepts to trigger growth.

The speech delivered by President Sorour officially opened the convention, which was organized in conjunction with the Parliamentary Research Center of the Egyptian People’s Assembly.

 The workshops gave rise to numerous discussions on issues such as:

The scientific paper of the convention was entrusted to Professor Jacques El Hakim.

After the closing speech of the convention, President Lachkar thanked all of the participants.

• In June, 2010, the Third Convention of Mediterranean Jurists took place in Rome focusing on the topic: "SMEs within the Euro-Mediterranean Space: Investment and Payment Security".
  

The objectives of this convention were to:

- organize a meeting forum for all of the legal professions from the entire Mediterranean region—practitioners, academics, public officials, company lawyers—in support of their pledge to support economic growth with respect for each other’s interests.

- underscore the fundamental role played by SMEs in the economic development of the region: 90% of the Mediterranean economic fabric is made up of this type of structure, which still lacks sufficient access to legal services.

- generate a quality scientific discussion demonstrating that legal professionals are able to effectively gear their research work toward an application to the concrete problems of  economic decision-makers.

The representatives of legal professionals from the Mediterranean countries assembled in Rome on June 7, 8, and 9, 2010 underscored their joint commitment to the rule of law with respect for the diversity of legal systems by signing a Joint Declaration. (in french)