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On November 19^th, the president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Consolat de Mar, Josep Santacreu, met with the Catalan Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler, to bring the mission and legacy of the Consolat de Mar closer to the new executive of the Catalan Government.

Josep Santacreu highlighted the need to collaborate in promoting mediation through institutions such as Consolat and highlighted the great opportunity that this collaboration represents to respond to current challenges such as the judicial overload and the promotion of dialogue and agreement.

After the appointment last May of the members of the Council of Twenty, which is the governing body of the Consolat de Mar, the institution is immersed in a new stage with several lines of action, being one of them the strengthening of the institution by becoming an institution of reference at Catalan and state level, as far as alternative conflict resolution systems is concerned.

On November 14, 2024, the Bill on measures regarding the efficiency of the Public Justice Service was approved by 179 votes in favor and 168 against, which “addresses the transformation of Courts into Courts of Instance, with the support of judicial offices that today are redefined and restructured into procedural processing units and common services.”

The exposition of this Bill contains the recommendation of the European Commission to the Member States regarding intensifying their efforts to promote and encourage the use of mediation, a request that the European Parliament endorsed in its Resolution of September 12, 2017, on the application of Directive 2008/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of May 21, 2008.

Also, article 5 of the Bill establishes the procedural requirement, including mediation, as one of the mechanisms, among others, to comply with this requirement.

Please find the complete text -> here

On May 14, 2024, the Consulate of the Sea of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce celebrated the day of Saint Marc, patron Saint of the Consulate, in a day that brought together representatives of the Chambers of Commerce areas, business sectors, political and judicial areas of Barcelona and Catalonia. Within the framework of the Saint Marc Day, the institution appointed the members who will be part of the Council of Twenty.

The Consulate of the Sea acts through the Council of Twenty, chaired by the president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and made up of 20 consuls: 19 members appointed by the Plenary Session of the Chamber at the proposal of the Executive Committee, all of them people of recognized prestige in the industrial, commercial and service fields of the cameral demarcation; and a twentieth consul who is the president of the Grain Exchange, given the historical cooperation of this entity with the Consulate of the Sea.

The consuls of the Council of Twenty are: Víctor Blanc, Maria Dolors Callis, José María Coronas, Ignasi Costas, Raimon Doménech, José Luis Esteban, Pilar Fernández, Isabel Galobardes, Emma Gumbert, Vicente Hernández, Sofía Lluch, Jesús Lozano, Ramón Nadal, Pascual Ortuño, Elisabeth Parés, Genís Roca, Miquel Trias, Oriol Valentí and David Vilà. The new members of the Council of Twenty start a new phase for the Consulate of the Sea marked by sectoral transversality and collaborative values as well as a firm commitment to promoting mediation as a conflict resolution system and a way to promote sustainable justice.

The members of the Council of Twenty stated their commitment towards mediation and arbitration as appropriate mechanisms for conflict resolution, as well as the role of the Consulate of the Sea as a reference institution in this field. The event was attended by the acting Minister of Justice of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Gemma Ubasart, and the judge of the Provincial Court of Barcelona and president of the European Group of Magistrates for Mediation in Spain (GEMME) Carme Guil, who gave the main presentation of the day with the title “Do we continue to trust in divine justice or do we opt for a more human justice?” Among those attending the event was also Judge Yolanda San Pastor, Head of the Mediation Section of the General Council of the Judiciary, and the General Director of Law, Legal Entities and Mediation of the Department of Justice of the Generalitat, Imma Barral.

On March 12, 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the Draft Bill on measures regarding the efficiency of the public justice service and collective actions for the protection and defense of the rights and interests of consumers and users.

Within this preliminary draft, measures relating to alternative means of dispute resolution (ADRs) are incorporated for procedural efficiency.

The draft regulates these systems and their application in out-of-court proceedings involving civil and commercial matters. Negotiation between the parties is thus enhanced through instruments such as mediation, private conciliation, confidential binding offers and independent experts’ opinion, all in order to find agreed solutions to their disputes.

The practice of these systems is rather common and successful in other countries, and it is considered that these might help to prevent litigation and ease courts and tribunals’ overload.

Dr. Josep Santacreu, on the occasion of the General Assembly of the Chamber, held on January 31, 2024, formally communicated his decision to take full charge of the functions as Chairman of the Consolat de Mar.

Thus, the president of the Chamber explained before the supreme governing and representative body of the Chamber that his intention is to completely take office as the highest authority of the Consolat, which, as specified, he acquired automatically upon his investiture as president of the Chamber in the course of the Assembly meeting held on October 9, 2023.

Until then, it was Mr. Jordi Domingo Garcia-Milà who had held the position of First Consul of the Council of Twenty of the Consolat, by delegation of the former president of the Chamber. In the aforementioned meeting of the Assembly of January 31st, he was duly thanked for the services rendered.

Consequently, now it is the president of the Chamber who fully exercises the functions of Chairman of the Consolat, him having declined the option of delegating functions in any of the Council of Twenty’s members as a First Consul.

Last but not least, in the aforementioned Assembly of the Chamber, a new appointment of a Consul was decided. It is a person of high reputation as a business woman expert in labour mediation. It is Ms. Emma Gumbert Jordan, one of the 12 Directors of the Chamber Board

The Consolat de Mar mediation and arbitration clauses can be found now at the catalan legal portal -> compendium.cat

On October 24th 2022, it took place in Tortosa (Tarragona) the opening ceremony for the 3/4 de Mil·lenni – Consolat de Mar Memorial of the 750 years of history of this institution.

This celebration was held at Felip Pedrell Theater and several authorities attended the event, as well as Ms. Meritxell Roigé, mayor of Tortosa; Mr. Jordi Domingo, first consul at Consolat de Mar, and Ms. Mònica Roca, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

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This October, in Tortosa, it will take place a series of events to celebrate the 750 years’ history of the Consolat de Mar.

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