Eurojuris Belgium is getting ready for its 25th anniversary, and members will be granted one exceptionnal venue: nothing less than the Belgian Parliament. And even a bit more...
We are in the centre of Brussels. The Royal Park is getting greener every day, and wanderers are getting more numerous between the King's Palace and the Belgian Federal Parliament – a neo-classical building that dons one of the biggest Belgian flag ever. Inside, the lush building shelters the portraits of Kings and Prime Ministers, oil paintings reminiscing of the ancient art of the Low Countries. This is where members of Eurojuris Belgium will celebrate their anniversary.
It all started 25 years ago, with a group of Belgian lawyers around Etienne Duvieusart. “Etienne is an extraordinary person”, remembers Fabienne Legrand, an EJ lawyer from Leuven. She was involved in the beginnings of what was to become Eurojuris. “All the people involved at the start thought is was an extraordinary idea. Etienne raised our awareness about something we all obviously needed: reliable and affordable correspondents in every country”.
Another pioneer who will celebrate the anniversary is Herman Naeyaert, from Antwerp. “Etienne convinced me from the start”, he reminisces, “it was an opportunity to reach out of capital cities: before Eurojuris, I already had my own contacts in Paris and London, but what if I needed a lawyer in, for example, Toulouse or Canterbury? This happens more than often, our kind of customers are not bound to the main cities”. According to Herman, having contact with a lawyer who knows the local ways was very useful.
The network's president, Yves Daenen, is especially happy to see what has become of this project in a quarter of a century. For this anniversary, he prepared a few treats. “Our assembly will seat in the Belgian Parliament”, he explains, “and we will be granted a tour by two MP's, one from each chamber. They also happen to be one Flemish and one Francophone”. After the reunion in this highly symbolic place, members will be invited for dinner in an equally impressive building just nearby: the Cercle Gaulois. “It is an ancient social club of entrepreneurs and industrialists, their place is gorgeous”. The headquarters of the Cercle Gaulois is protected as a national heritage and includes luxurious rooms and art collections.
This anniversary is also an occasion to celebrate practice groups, an intiative that was started just a year ago at the last general assembly. “It is just the beginning”, adds Fabienne, who chairs the Insurance practice group, “but I also have chaired such a group at international level in the past and I remember it takes time to get members to stick to the group's schedule. But it actually works well already”.
An anniversary is also a good occasion to think about the future. For Fabienne, it is about fresh blood. “We reached a step where we need to modernize some cabinets, to bring new ones in, we need constant refreshing!” For Yves, maintaining a good international interaction is the most important thing: “too many members of EJ Belgium are neglecting to participate to the network internationally, and I want us to stimulate them into doing it!” Eurojuris Belgium has initiated a partnership with its neighbouring counterpart in the Netherlands, organising some common events. “We started doing the same with Eurojuris France, its northern chapter just across the border had met with us several times”.
Last but not least, Herman as a much more simple expectation for this anniversary: “I am only expecting a big party!” he says with a laugh.
