Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, with its 500.000 inhabitants is the largest city in the country, and was the venue of this year’s EuréseaU Spring Meeting. 28 delegates representing law firms from all over the world participated in the meeting. Besides experiencing the most magnificent sights that Lisbon has to offer and exploring Portuguese culture, everybody gained an insight into the historical, political and economic context of the country. Also, this event offered the opportunity for interesting and inspiring discussions as well as professional exchange. All agreed that the meeting was a great success.

The gathering started on Friday with a dinner at the home of António Pinheiro Torres, who hosted this year’s event together with Luis Brito Correia. While enjoying their hosts’ traditional dishes and flourishing garden, the participants received a first impression of Portuguese culture. The next morning began with a welcome-speech by EuréseaU’s President Hans-Oluf Meyer, who thanked the hosts for their hospitality and their organizational efforts. Then, Luis Brito Correia gave an insightful historical overview of the development of the territory which we call Portugal today. He started with the origin of the name “Lissabon” – which comes from Ulysses, the hero from ancient Greek mythology. He also gave some very interesting information about the Republic of António de Oliveira Salazar, the new constitution of 1974 and Portugal becoming an EU member in June 1985. Finally, he talked about current legal developments in the country, for example the 2003 new labour law code, which was slightly reformed later. António Pinheiro Torres finished the speech by emphasizing the important role of the European economy for Portugal.

After sharing some news and reporting about the situation in their respective countries, the members spent the evening discovering Downtown Lisbon. The district is also known as Baixa Chiado and lies at the heart of the city, with amazing shopping boulevards and other main tourist attractions. The sight-seeing tour continued the next day by visiting Castelo de São Jorge, Teatro Romano and Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which is located on a hill and offers breath-taking views over the city. After lunch, the members went to see the church Igreja da Madre de Deus, which is part of a Convent. One major sight located inside the Convent is the National Tile Museum, displaying artistic ceramic tiles, the “azulejos”, from different eras since the 15th century. The participants then went on to visit the Jeronimos Monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular attractions in Lisbon. The afternoon program ended at the Torre de Belém, a tower located at the river Tagus, which has also been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The last day of the meeting started with a visit to Queluz Palace and Sintra Palace and ended at the convent and palace of Mafra. All of this gave astonishing insights into Portugal’s past and future, which inspired everybody’s eyes and minds.