A joint event with the European Committee of Social Rights
On 8 September 2026, the Court and the European Committee of Social Rights organised a joint event in Strasbourg dedicated to advancing protection of human rights and fostering dialogue between the two institutions.
Entitled A Conversation between the European Committee of Social Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, the first-ever joint event brought together the President of the Committee, Aoife Nolan, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, along with many judges of the Court and members of the Committee. The discussion focused on the themes of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and promoting gender equality.
In his opening remarks, the President of the Court emphasised how the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter are the two pillars of the Council of Europe human rights protection system.
“These two human rights instruments have a shared origin and a shared purpose. They both have their roots in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ‘common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations’. Both aim to transpose its aims and aspirations into binding international law,” he said. In his speech, he also referred to several cases decided by the Court on the two main topics of the event.
The President of the European Committee of Social Rights highlighted the complementary mandates of the Committee and the Court and explored the two systems’ intertwined legal approaches.
The first panel discussion, moderated by Ivana Jelić, Vice-President of the European Court and judge elected in respect of Montenegro, centred on the rights of persons with disabilities and saw the participation of Aoife Nolan, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, Ioannis Ktistakis, Section President and judge elected in respect of Greece, Oddný Mjöll Arnardóttir, judge elected in respect of Iceland, and Kristina Koldinská, member of the European Committee of Social Rights.
The second panel discussion focused on gender equality. Moderated by George Theodosis, Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights, the panel featured Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium, Diana Sârcu, judge elected in respect of the Republic of Moldova, Kristīne Dupate, General Rapporteur of the European Committee of Social Rights, and Mario Vinković, member of the European Committee of Social Rights.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Kateřina Šimáčková, Section President and judge elected in respect of the Czech Republic, and Tatiana Puiu, Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights.