8.30–10.00 Registration and Coffee
(Conference Center)
10.00–12.00 Morning Programme – The Rule of Law at the Essence of Humanity
(Siirtomaasali I–II, Conference Center)
Host: Jussi-Pekka Rantanen, News Presenter, Producer, Journalist, Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle
Greetings from the State (in Finnish)
Antti Häkkänen, Minister of Defence
Greetings from the Finnish Bar Association (in Finnish)
Hanna Räihä-Mäntyharju, President, Finnish Bar Association
Greetings from Ukraine’s Ambassador to Finland
Olga Dibrova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Finland
The Laws of War – Everyday Idealism or the Cover of Violence? (in Finnish)
Martti Koskenniemi, Professor of International Law, University of Helsinki
Knowledge Work – Where Are You Heading? (in Finnish)
Maria Ritola, Co-Founder, Iris.ai
12.00–13.30 Lunch
Oceana (Hotel), Meritorppa, Pyöreä Sali (Conference Center)
the Invitational Lunch is Served in Vanha Torppa (Conference Center)
13.30–16.15 Discussions on Rule of Law – the role of Bar Association and Lawyers in safeguarding the principle of Rule of Law
(Merisali, Conference Center)
Chair: Niko Jakobsson, Secretary General, Finnish Bar Association
13.30–15.00
The role of Bar Association and lawyers in time of crisis – a message from the Ukrainian National Bar Association
Valentyn Gvozdiy, Vice President, Ukrainian National Bar Association, Managing Partner, GOLAW Law Firm
The presentation contains information on the activities of the bar self-government bodies during the war. It describes the main challenges and threats faced by the UNBA.
Rule of Law in Poland – an overview of complications
Bartosz Grohman, Advocate, Vice President of the Polish Bar Council
Since 2015, Poland has faced numerous problems with the Rule of Law. The ruling party introduced a number of regulations that clearly violate the legal system, causing various consequences both for lawyers and, more importantly, for citizens. Within my presentation, I go through the reasons for these changes and their practical aspects, highlighting real challenges and possible solutions. After the parliamentary elections in October 2023, the situation seemed to change, but as recent developments show, it is not that easy.
15.00–15.30 Coffee Break
15.30–16.15 Discussion Panel: The role of Bar Association and Lawyers in safeguarding the principle of Rule of Law
What threats are the Bar Associations and Law Societies in Europe and the Nordics facing? How can the state of the Rule of Law be assessed? How we see the future? Secretary Generals of The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), the Danish Bar and Law Society, the Norwegian Bar Association and the Finnish Bar Association will discuss on the role of Bar Associations and Lawyers in safeguarding the principle of Rule of Law.
Moderator:
Niko Jakobsson, Secretary General, Finnish Bar Association
Panelists:
Andrew Hjuler Crichton, Secretary General, Danish Bar & Law Society
Simone Cuomo, Secretary-General, Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)
Merete Smith, Secretary General, Norwegian Bar Association
After Presentations
18.30–19.00 AIJA Cocktails
(State Room I, Hotel Lobby)
19.00–19.30 FBA President’s Cocktails for Invited Guests
(State Room II, Hotel Lobby)
19.45 onwards, a Celebratory Dinner for Invited Guests followed by an Evening Programme until the Early Hours (Conference Center)