PM 50/24: Europe at a critical juncture

Berlin/Brussels (DAV). The 4th Open Summit of the Weimar Triangle of Lawyers, titled "Legal profes­sionals and the rule of law: preventive and restorative actions in Europe", took place at the Deutscher Anwalt­verein (DAV) headquarters in Berlin. As several European Union Member States face direct threats to the Rule of Law, lawyers and bar associations must urgently mobilize.

Established in 2019, the Weimar Triangle of Lawyers unites the Paris and the Warsaw Bar associations with the Deutscher Anwalt­verein (DAV) in a joint effort to protect the Rule of Law in Europe. This 2024 edition comes at a pivotal time, with mounting attacks on judicial independence and fundamental rights in several European countries. The focus of the discussions was the ongoing efforts to restore the Rule of Law in Poland, as well as the pressing need to prevent further democratic backsliding across Europe.

Alarming findings:

• The Rule of Law is under direct attack in several European states and, as the case of Poland shows, its restoration is a hard and longstanding process.
• The European Union is slow to use the full range of tools at its disposal to safeguard the core principles upon which it is founded.
• Constitutional courts across Europe are becoming increasingly vulnerable to political interference.

· The right to legal represen­tation, a cornerstone of justice, is being seriously undermined in some countries.
Immediate action required: Lawyers, through their bar associations, have the means to push the European Union to act swiftly against these violations. But they must do so now - there is no more time for half measures. The moment demands decisive action.

High-level speakers, including Stefan von Raumer (Vice President of DAV), Mikołaj Pietrzak (Dean of the Warsaw Bar Association), and experts like Professors Klaus Bachmann and Laurent Pech, called for the immediate mobilization of the legal profession. They also advocated for the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Lawyers, which could become a key tool in reinforcing the defense of the Rule of Law.

With systematic attacks on the judiciary, lawyers must stand as the guardians of the Rule of Law. The Weimar Triangle of Lawyers remains a crucial forum for raising awareness and pressing for concrete action from European institutions.

The time to act is now. Europe can no longer afford to remain passive in the face of threats to its core values.

»> Click here for the Anwaltsblatt report on the event (german language).

»> Zum Anwaltsblatt-Bericht über das Weimarer Dreieck der Anwalt­schaften (deutsch­sprachig).