05
Nov
2026
The President and the Registrar of the Court address the 2026 World Forum for Democracy
On 3 November 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, delivered opening remarks at the World Forum for Democracy 2026, held at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
He noted that in the face of threats to democracy and the rule of law, the Court has shown that it is able to do its part.
“Our judgments are not simply words on paper. They are tools against lawlessness, arbitrariness, chaos, and war. Tools for defending truly resilient democracies through resilient justice,” President Guyomar highlighted, adding: “We fully count on you, young generations, to turn the dream of our predecessors into the reality of the future.”
The Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, participated in a debate entitled Putting Council of Europe Insights to the Test. She spoke about how the Court, through its case-law and alongside other Council of Europe bodies and mechanisms, works to guarantee the common European legal order and helps to strengthen democratic resilience.
Court President meets with Greece’s Prime Minister
On 23 October 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, met with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On behalf of the Court, the meeting was also attended by Ioannis Ktistakis, Section President and the judge elected in respect of Greece, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court. On behalf of the Greek Government, the participants included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tasos Chatzivasileiou. The interlocutors exchanged views on the Court’s role in safeguarding human rights across Europe, the importance of the implementation of its judgments, and Greece’s support for the Convention system.
Court delegation visits Athens
On 22 and 23 October 2026, a delegation of judges of the Court and its Registrar, led by President Mattias Guyomar, visited Athens for meetings with Greece's superior courts and participation in two events.
On 22 October, the delegation held a bilateral meeting with a delegation of Greece’s Council of State, led by its President Michalis Pikramenos, while on 23 October they met with the President Panagiotis Lymperopoulos and judges of Greece’s Court of Cassation. The discussions, which formed part of the Court’s continuing judicial dialogue with national superior courts, focused on the principle of shared responsibility in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights.
On 23 October, the Court delegation also attended the presentation of the proceedings of the commemorative event Strengthening Democracy: 50 Years since the Re-ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights and 75 Years since the Founding of the Council of Europe, organised by the Council of State and attended by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Constantine An. Tassoulas, and other senior State officials. Addressing the participants, the President of the Court highlighted that the democratic ideal lies at the heart of both the Convention and the Court’s case-law, adding that democracy and the protection of fundamental rights are mutually reinforcing. The publication was presented by Ioannis Ktistakis, Section President and judge elected in respect of Greece, who served as scientific editor of the volume. On the sidelines of the presentation, President Guyomar, Judge Ktistakis and Registrar Tsirli had the opportunity to meet with the President of the Hellenic Republic.
On 22 October, the delegation also participated in the Christos Rozakis Workshop entitled Greece and the Strasbourg Court. Ioannis Ktistakis, Section President and judge elected in respect of Greece, delivered the introductory remarks, while President Mattias Guyomar and the Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, took part in a discussion on the contemporary challenges facing the European Court of Human Rights, chaired by former Court President Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos. In his speech, the President of the Court elaborated on three challenges: armed conflicts, threats to democracy and the rule of law, and the application of the living instrument doctrine in a context of political pressure. The Registrar of the Court, focused on the operational challenges faced by the Court, including the massive influx of applications, insufficient financial resources; and the impact of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, on the work of the Court.
President Guyomar addresses the Committee of Ministers
On 21 October 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, addressed the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers as part of his regular twice-yearly exchange of views, providing an in-depth overview of the Court’s work over the past six months, with a particular focus on the priorities of his Presidency: efficiency, visibility and responsibility.
On efficiency, the President presented an overview of the Court’s judicial activity, supported by statistical data, and described the initiatives undertaken by the Court to improve its working methods and procedures.
On visibility, President Guyomar highlighted three key dimensions: communication and cooperation within the Council of Europe; engagement with national authorities, international organisations and other partners of the Court; and outreach and communication activities aimed at both the media and the general public.
On responsibility, he noted that accountability and judicial independence go hand in hand, and highlighted the importance of shared responsibility with national authorities in implementing the European Convention.
At the conclusion of his address, the President participated in an exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers and responded to questions from its members.
The President and the Registrar of the Court address the 2026 World Forum for Democracy
On 3 November 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, delivered opening remarks at the World Forum for Democracy 2026, held at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
He noted that in the face of threats to democracy and the rule of law, the Court has shown that it is able to do its part.
“Our judgments are not simply words on paper. They are tools against lawlessness, arbitrariness, chaos, and war. Tools for defending truly resilient democracies through resilient justice,” President Guyomar highlighted, adding: “We fully count on you, young generations, to turn the dream of our predecessors into the reality of the future.”
The Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, participated in a debate entitled Putting Council of Europe Insights to the Test. She spoke about how the Court, through its case-law and alongside other Council of Europe bodies and mechanisms, works to guarantee the common European legal order and helps to strengthen democratic resilience.
Court President meets with Greece’s Prime Minister
On 23 October 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, met with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On behalf of the Court, the meeting was also attended by Ioannis Ktistakis, Section President and the judge elected in respect of Greece, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court. On behalf of the Greek Government, the participants included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tasos Chatzivasileiou. The interlocutors exchanged views on the Court’s role in safeguarding human rights across Europe, the importance of the implementation of its judgments, and Greece’s support for the Convention system.
Judicial activities
03/11/26
Measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court are decided in connection with proceedings before the Court, without prejudging any subsequent decisions on the admissibility or merits of the case.
03/11/26
Forthcoming rulings in three Grand Chamber cases concerning the summary return of migrants at the Belarusian border in 2021-2022
The Court will be delivering a Grand Chamber ruling in the cases of A.R. and Others v. Poland, H.M.M. and Others v. Latvia and C.O.C.G. and Others v. Lithuania on 24 November 2026.
The cases all concern summary returns at the Belarusian borders from summer 2021 to summer 2022.
A.R. and Others v. Poland concerns a group of Afghan nationals who allege that they were left stranded in a makeshift camp on the border between Belarus and Poland from 8 August until 23 October 2021. They eventually returned to Afghanistan, where they currently reside.
H.M.M. and Others v. Latvia concerns a group of Iraqi nationals of Kurdish origin, who allege, among other things, that they were “pushed back” in the vicinity of the Latvian-Belarusian border starting from 11 August 2021. They have since returned to Iraq.
C.O.C.G. and Others v. Lithuania concerns four Cuban nationals and their repeated crossing of the Lithuanian-Belarusian border in March and April 2022. When they entered Lithuania on 13 April 2022, they were apprehended. They have since been issued with permanent residence permits.
02/11/26
Referral to the Grand Chamber
The Court has accepted the referral to the Grand Chamber of the case Banca Sistema S.p.A. v. Italy.
The applicant, Banca Sistema S.p.A., is a company based in Milan. It specialises in providing factoring services to private companies, buying debt owed to those companies by public administration authorities and becoming the creditor in their place. Banca Sistema S.p.A. acquired several debts held by private companies and service providers against the municipality of Cosenza. The national courts determined the total amount of the acquired debt and issued orders for payment. Those orders became enforceable on dates between 2018 and 2023, and enforcement of those orders has been pending for between more than two and more than seven years. Following partial payment of the sums awarded, the municipality of Cosenza declared itself insolvent. Banca Sistema S.p.A. lodged a request to be included in its list of creditors. The company cannot, however, initiate or pursue enforcement proceedings concerning its claims registered on that list while the insolvency procedure is pending.
The Court has also decided to reject a request to refer eleven other cases.
29/10/26
In recent weeks the European Court of Human Rights has dealt with a number of applications concerning the effectiveness of remedies under the Pinto Act which provides for compensation in respect of damage resulting from excessive length of judicial proceedings.
The applications fall into three main categories. The first category concerns cases where no compensation was awarded domestically for excessive length of proceedings or was limited to the value of the underlying claim. The second category of cases concerned the application by the national courts of Article 2, paragraph 2 quinquies, point (a) of the Pinto Act, which excluded payment of compensation for excessive length of proceedings where the claimant had been found liable for abusive litigation under Article 96 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Finally, the third category concerned the effectiveness of the Pinto remedy for excessive length of tax proceedings.
22/10/26
Court of Cassation did not lack impartiality in Silvio Berlusconi’s conviction proceedings.
In the case of Berlusconi v. Italy the Court held that there had been no violation of the right to a fair trial in respect of the complaint that the Court of Cassation had lacked impartiality.
The case concerned the applicant’s complaint of unfairness regarding his criminal conviction for a tax evasion scheme implemented through Mediaset S.p.A. and other companies in the same group, in connection with the purchase of television rights.
The Court found that the applicant had not shown that the bench of the Court of Cassation dealing with his case, and in particular the President of the Division to which the case had been allocated, had lacked impartiality.
Press releases on other judgments and decisions
29/10/26
3 November: 8 Judgments
29 October: 7 Judgments & 15 Decisions
On the agenda
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