First of all I want to express my deep gratitude for having been given the honour to speak to you today. A lawyer from Germany addressing the 50th birthday celebration of the Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten - that would have been inconceivable back in 1952 when the Dutch Bar was founded. This inconceivable idea has become reality thanks to the rule of law. After all, the rule of law has been the fundament on which the treaties establishing the European Union of today have been based. Incidentally, the first such treaty, the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty dates of the same year 1952. We all, and in particular we foreign lawyers, should pay tribute to Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius), this magnificent Dutch lawyer, who centuries ago has laid the theoretical bases therefor.