The Europe of Lawyers speaks with one voice to promote the Convention on the Protection of Lawyer at the World Law Congress

The President of the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, Salvador González, called on all States to ratify without delay the new Convention on the Protection of Lawyer of the Council of Europe during the opening of the 2025 World Law Congress. Following intense efforts by the Abogacía Española and CCBE, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved on 12 March the first international instrument to guarantee that lawyers can work freely and safely. See official news here.

At the opening held in Santo Domingo, the President conveyed the sense of achievement of the Abogacía Española in its decisive role in advocating a Convention with global ambition that ensures lawyers can practise freely and without interference worldwide. Taking advantage of this important international platform, Salvador González urged all States to incorporate the Convention into their national legal systems to advance the strengthening of the rule of law. The President of the Abogacía Española issued this call as part of the momentum behind the Convention led by President Thierry Wickers on behalf of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents Bars and Law Societies across Europe.

CCBE has played a key role in defending this binding international instrument. As an observer member of the Committee of Experts on the Protection of Lawyers (CJ-AV), CCBE actively contributed to the drafting of the Convention, ensuring consistency with the practices and rules of the various European legal systems. Both the CCBE member Bars and its dedicated Working Group have been the driving force behind this defence of lawyers for approximately a decade.

The President reiterated that protecting those who practise law is vital to the democratic health of societies. “Without lawyers, there is no rule of law,” he stated, highlighting that the new international treaty is a major step forward in safeguarding professional independence from threats, interference, and reprisals. “We are concerned, as this Congress has been for the past 60 years,” González added, referring to the deterioration of the rule of law in various regions of the world — a concern also voiced by international bodies such as the United Nations and the European Commission.

The opening ceremony was attended by prominent figures, including the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Marko Bošnjak, as well as presidents and senior representatives of judiciaries, executive powers, and Bars from over 60 countries.

The Congress, which addressed key issues such as human rights, the rule of law, and digital challenges, was led by another prominent Spanish lawyer, Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association. The event will conclude today, Tuesday, in a ceremony attended by King Felipe VI, underlining the global importance of this gathering.