On 29 May 2026, the sixth colloquium on the theme Dialogue between the European Court of Human Rights and academia, organised jointly by the Court, the Faculty of Law of the University of Strasbourg and the Carré de Malberg Institute, was held in Strasbourg with the participation of the Court’s President, Mattias Guyomar. Marko Bošnjak, Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union and former President of the European Court of Human Rights, was also invited.

The following judges of the Court took part: Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium and organiser of the colloquium; Diana Sarcu, judge elected in respect of the Republic of Moldova; Alain Chablais, judge elected in respect of Liechtenstein; Canòlic Mingorance Cairat, judge elected in respect of Andorra; and Hugh Mercer, judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom, alongside Professors Emeritus of the University of Strasbourg Florence Benoit-Rohmer (organiser of the conference) and Patrick Wachsmann, as well as Professors Matthieu Maisonneuve of the University of Aix-Marseille, Isabelle Rorive of the Free University of Brussels, Ledi Bianku of the University of Strasbourg (organiser of the conference), Peggy Ducoulombier of the University of Strasbourg, Marion Larché of the University of Lille, Dominic McGoldrick of the University of Nottingham and Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou of the University of Liverpool, as well as students and legal staff of the Court.

Mattias Guyomar delivered the opening address, emphasising the importance of dialogue between the Court and academia on human rights issues and outlining recent developments relating to the Court’s judicial activity.

During the conference, four major and topical themes were addressed by the Court’s judges and professors.

Judge Sarcu spoke on freedom of expression for judicial actors; Judge Chablais presented recent case-law on migration; Judge Mingorance Cairat addressed the subject of freedom of assembly and the suppression of protest; and Judge Mercer outlined the challenges facing sports arbitration in the light of fundamental rights.

Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium, summarised the conclusions of this fruitful exchange between the Court’s case-law and academia.