Sustainable development objectives at Eubelius

A healthy, pleasant working environment is very important to us at Eubelius: the well-being of our people is our highest priority. We promote healthy nutrition and physical exercise. Here are a few examples:

• organic soup every Wednesday;
• a basket of fresh local fruit is provided twice a week on each floor;
• other fair trade or local products; and
• a team from Eubelius takes part in the Tournée Minérale.

We also encourage regular breaks for physical exercise during the working day (yoga sessions at lunchtime, advanced running and gym facilities sponsored by Eubelius).

Our Eubelians have opportunities to participate in a number of sporting events free of charge, including runs (Antwerp 10 miles & Marathon, the Legal Run, the Brussels 20 km run and the “Bruggenloop” (Bridges Run) in Kortrijk), cycling (Eubelius Cycling Challenge) and football (Fighting Blue & Blue Flames). Each year Eubelius also organises a short ski trip, in which up to 80 employees take part.

Eubelius organises blood donation sessions and Heart Rhythm Week, supports Think Pink (breast cancer prevention) and gives its employees opportunities to be vaccinated against influenza.

As well as promoting health and well-being, Eubelius strongly believes in promoting gender equality and diversity within the firm.

Every year, two Eubelians participate in WILL (Women in Law and Leadership), a programme cycle intended to promote and support career development for talented women. Eubelius also participates actively in the International Women Leadership Programme (IWLP), a similar international initiative.

Eubelius is one of the founding members of the LDIA (Legal Diversity & Inclusion Alliance), the initiative that aims to promote gender equality and diversity in the legal profession. We regularly welcome people with a disability and we implemented a policy that work well for young parents.

Eubelius cares about the environment and is aware of the environmental impact of its activities. We engage in a number of activities and initiatives to support our natural environment.

We promote the use of bicycles and public transport. Our firm has a number of electric bicycles for journeys within Brussels and a secure bicycle parking facility, and makes electric charging points available. We also make efforts to increase awareness of energy consumption and avoidance of waste. Environmental performance is taken into account when selecting all our printers and photocopiers. We also encourage our attorneys and employees to use the equipment responsibly. We are improving the general energy efficiency of our buildings.

In 2022 Eubelius achieved a second star for Ecodynamic Enterprise label.

Eubelius takes responsibility for the socio-cultural domain, and supports a number of organisations that are working to support the most vulnerable in society. We participate in “The Warmest Week” each year, which focuses on support for underprivileged people.

Over the last couple of years, we have also given our support to the following organisations:

• Le Concert Olympique
• Théàtre National
• Strokar Inside
• Amusea
• Het nieuwstedelijk

In 2017 we supported an initiative by Rikolto (formerly known as Islands of Peace), which led to a partnership. Eubelius is therefore doing its bit to help local food development and sustainability in food.

Ladder’op is another organisation we enjoy working with. This association provides individually tailored educational support to underprivileged children in Dutch-speaking schools in the Brussels Capital Region. In 2018 we sponsored them during The Warmest Week, and in 2019 we also entered into a long-term collaboration with them.

In 2019 we raised funds through The Warmest Week for the YouthStart organisation. This association aims to help young people with difficulties to make their dreams a reality. Through an eight-day training course, young people are able to discover their talents and develop and present their own dream project.

We also work closely with ASATT (A Seat At The Table), an organisation that aims to help talented young people from different socio-economic backgrounds. Eubelius provides legal training and summer internships or student jobs to give them extra opportunities.

The cultural sector is currently struggling because of COVID-19. It is precisely for this reason that we are currently supporting:

• Graindelavoix: Flemish polyphony
• Capital: supports young people in Brussels on their way to a promising professional future
• Poverello

• Belgian Paralympic Committee: coaches talent like Florian Van Acker for the Paris 2024 Paralympics

• Sportpret: gives all children the opportunity to develop through sport and music

The attorneys in our firm devote a considerable proportion of their time and expertise to legal cases in which they work on a pro bono basis.

We apply a number of criteria when accepting an organisation as a pro bono client:

• Can we identify with the aims of the organisation and the way it seeks to realise those aims?
• Does the legal assistance requested fall within the scope of our expertise, which is business law in the broadest sense?