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Robrecht Coppens
Loyens & Loeff, Brussels
robrecht.coppens@loyensloeff.com

After more than two years of virtual meetings, it was finally time for the Western and Israel Regional Groups to meet in person. We faced several challenges in getting there (Covid-19 aside): how to get a decent quorum with approximately 30 members in the holiday period, what was the best timing given that in many countries holiday periods are not the same, where to meet etc?

Finally, we decided to meet at the end of August in Brussels, the very heart and capital of the European region. The concept was simple: get to know each other, have fun and have a fruitful discussion. A group of 11 Council Members and Officers met in the city. On Thursday evening we had drinks and dinner (and then some more drinks) in a warm and sunny Brussels.

On Friday morning we met in the Brussels offices of Loyens & Loeff for a full agenda meeting. We discussed the European Regional Forum within the IBA and how to engage personally and as a group to the broader membership, how to encourage and support young lawyers to engage in the IBA and international networking, how to improve the IBA membership offering, the rule of law in our countries and how to build a robust and sustainable future of our regional group.

In the afternoon we went for a guided walking tour, giving us the opportunity to see the city and the European institutions through the eyes of a local. This combination of networking and content discussions was very well received by everyone and forms a good basis for our future meetings. Be sure that this initiative will be continued in the coming years!