The Gazette 1974

13.1 The E.E.C. Committee is the newest of the Law Society's standing Committees. It is a ' s o probably the most difficult since the members of the Committee are to some extent learning their job as they go along.

E.E.C. COMMITTEE

John B. Jermyn, Chairman John Buckley Anthony E. Collins John G. Fish Brendan A. McGrath

13.2 At the outset it was apparent that it would be quite impossible for the Committee to deal as a Committee with the sheer quantity of work that required to be done. At the time of the formation of the E.E.C. Committee, the European Economic Community had already been in existence for 15 years and in that time had produced a considerable quantity of legislation. The Committee had to become familiar with all existing legislation at the same time as it was trying to cope with current developments. It became the practice therefore for the Committee, whilst retaining overall control, to delegate as much work as possible to experts in their own particular fields. 13.3 E.E.C. Library: It was hoped to have the Law Society's Library established as an E.E.C. depository library. This would have meant that all E.E.C. publications would have been provided free of charge but it did have the disadvantage that the ordinary members of the public would have to have free access at all reasonable times. In the event the Society's applica- tion was rejected by the Authorities and it was necessary to start investigating the possibility of establishing an E.E.C. Central Library. For this purpose a special Library Committee was formed consisting of representatives of the King's inns, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Library, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Galway, Queen's University, in addition to the members of the E.E.C. Committee. Several useful meetings of the Library Committee have already been held and it is presently awaiting a report from its own Sub-Committee before progress can be made. Mr. Collins is presently dealing with the Directive on Bankruptcy and Messrs. Margetson a Moloney with that on Securities over Moveables. The Committee has been glad to adopt the submission made by Mr. Hanley of the Department of Justice in relation to the draft Directive on Suretyship and Guarantees. In this connection, the Committee would like to express its appreciation of the excellent spirit of helpfulness and co-operation which exists in its relation- ship with the Department of Justice. 13.5 Liaison with other Organisations: The Council on the recommendation of the E.E.C Committee sought and was granted membership of the Commission Consultative des BarreauX des Pays des Communautes Europeennes, and associate membership of the Union Internationale du Notariat Latin. Membership of these bodies has enabled the Society to send representatives to attend their meetings and to make and maintain contact with our professional colleagues within the European Community. With the pace of developments in the legal aspects of the E.E.C., such contact is becoming increasingly important and representatives of the Committee, together with the President, have also been privileged to visit the European Court at Luxemburg as guests of the Court. 13.6 Superior Court Rules: Whilst speaking of the Court, it is to be recorded with regret that no regulations have been formulated by the Superior Court Rules Committee to enable an Appeal to be brought from an Irish Court to the Court at Luxemburg under Article 177 of the Treaty of Rome. This is not due to lack of pressure on the part of the E.E.C. Committee. It is an embarrassing fact that Ireland is the only member country that has not yet made the appropriate amendment to its Rules of Court. 13.7 Publicity: In an effort to stimulate interest amongst the Society's members in E.E.C- matters, the Committee organised a Seminar in Wexford in March last. It is proposed to hold a further Seminar in Sligo in the autumn. The Committee also published a short series ot articles in the Gazette and it is intended to revive this series in the near future. The Committee investigated the possibility of compiling and publishing a short handbook on the E.E.C. f°r distribution amongst the members of the Profession—however, it was soon realised that the cost of publication would be prohibitive and could not be justified. The College of Law, London, kindly consented to the Society using their handbook and an order was placed for a substantial quantity of these. This handbook is now available from the Society at a cost oi £1 per copy. 232 13.4 Directives: The following draft Directives have been studied by the Committee during the year: (i) Freedom to provide servides; (ii) Bankruptcy; (iii) Securities over Moveables; (iv) Suretyship and Guarantees.

John B. Jermyn, Chairman