On 2 July 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, addressed the participants of the 2026 HELP Annual Network Conference, which brought together national training institutions from the 46 Council of Europe member States and beyond to exchange, cooperate, and modernise judicial training.

In his address, the President emphasised that, in times of increasing attacks on the rules-based international legal order, the democratic discourse needed “a shared legal and ethical foundation” - the European Convention on Human Rights.

He then spoke about how the Convention, as an instrument for protecting the European public order, promoting judicial truth, and protecting peace, served as Europe’s common frame of reference.

The President highlighted the role that the HELP Programme played in promoting human rights education, disseminating the Court’s case-law, and spreading the knowledge of the Convention and its values.

This two-day conference was organised under the Presidency of Monaco of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

• Speech by President Mattias Guyomar