Under the auspices of Dr. Josep Maria de Dios i Marcer, illustrious Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and the initiative of Dr. Rafael Arenas García, Professor of Private International Law, took place the First OHADA / OHADAC Presentation Meeting in the Conference Room of the Faculty of Law at the U.A.B. with the participation of lawyers from the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, and the international law firm, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo. The Meeting, sponsored by the associations UNIDA, chaired by Judge Seydou Ba, and ACP LEGAL, conducted by Magistrate Catherine Sargenti, has been the opportunity to present to the Catalonian legal community both legal integration projects. After words of welcome by the Dean, Dr. Rafael Garcia Arenas moderated a panel preceded by three lectures by:

• Dr. Yoselyn A. Bermudez Abreu, professor at the University of Zulia (LUZ), Venezuela, ACP Legal Venezuelan Chapter President. After a presentation entitled “The OHADAC, project and Venezuelan Chapter”, Prof. Bermudez announced the publication of a decree by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela providing a research budget to the ACP Legal Venezuelan Chapter for the OHADAC, information that we shall detail in an upcoming newsletter;
• Mr. Jose M. Cueto Alvarez de Sotomayor, Attorney-at-Law, consultant of the Office of European Union Cooperation for ACP countries, expert in the implementation of the OHADA Treaty in Sub-Saharan Africa, ACP Legal advisor for the OHADAC. After Jose's speech on “The OHADA, implementation and perspectives”, he took the opportunity of the event to present and discuss the new publication funded & sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Justice, -under his leadership-, entitled “The Harmonization of Business Law in Africa driven by the OHADA” in its 2nd edition, updated according to the revision of the Treaty of October 2008;
• Mr. Jean Reale, OHADAC Secretary General, ACP Legal Dominican Republic. After a presentation entitled “OHADAC genesis of a legal integration project”, Mr. Reale, announced the launch on Dec. 12 of the first OHADAC international tender for the Caribbean census of the business laws in seven specific thematic and the study in view of the creation of a regional Arbitration Court.

The panel that followed allowed exchanges to highlight the interest of the Autonomous University of Barcelona to participate as a research associate unit,-in partnership with willing Caribbean Universities-, to define academic work within the EU-Cariforum Economic Partnership Agreement. For further information, please contact: rafael.arenas@uab.es or jean.reale@acplegal.net