Presidency of the Court

The President
The President of the Court directs the work and administration of the Court (Rule 9 of the Rules of Court).
He or she represents the Court and, in particular, is responsible for its relations with the authorities of the Council of Europe as well as the political and judicial authorities of the States Parties to the European Convention on Human Rights.
The President presides at plenary meetings of the Court, meetings of the Grand Chamber, meetings of the Grand Chamber panel of five judges and meetings of the Bureau.
The President is assisted by Bureau, the Registrar of the Court and by the President’s Private Office.

The President
The President of the Court directs the work and administration of the Court (Rule 9 of the Rules of Court).
He or she represents the Court and, in particular, is responsible for its relations with the authorities of the Council of Europe as well as the political and judicial authorities of the States Parties to the European Convention of Human Rights.
The President presides at plenary meetings of the Court, meetings of the Grand Chamber, meetings of the Grand Chamber panel of five judges and meetings of the Bureau.
The President is assisted by Bureau, the Registrar of the Court and by the President’s Private Office.

Marko Bošnjak
Born on 12 March 1974 in Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Graduated in Law, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 1996
- Research assistant (1996-2002), research fellow (2002-2006), senior research fellow (2006-2008), at the Institute of Criminology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law
- Judicial traineeship at the Court of Appeal in Ljubljana, 1998-2000
- Masters’ degree, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 1999
- State Judicial Exam, 2001
- Ph.D. in Law, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 2002
- Independent advisor (2002-2006), superior advisor (2006-2008) Constitutional Court of Slovenia
- Assistant Professor for criminal law and criminology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 2005-2015
- Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 2006-2012
- Expert Member of the Council for Criminal Law, Ministry of Justice of Slovenia, 2008-2011
- Attorney specialised in criminal law, 2009-2016
- Associate Professor of criminal law, European Law Faculty in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, since 2012
- Judge of the European Court of Human Rights since 30 May 2016
- Vice-President of Section from 15 May 2019 to 17 May 2021
- President of Section from 1 January 2022 to 1 July 2024
- Vice-President of the Court from 1 November 2022 to 1 July 2024
- President of the Court since 2 July 2024.

Marko Bošnjak
Born on 12 March 1974 in Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Graduated in Law, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 1996
- Research assistant (1996-2002), research fellow (2002-2006), senior research fellow (2006-2008), at the Institute of Criminology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law
- Judicial traineeship at the Court of Appeal in Ljubljana, 1998-2000
- Masters’ degree, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 1999
- State Judicial Exam, 2001
- Ph.D. in Law, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 2002
- Independent advisor (2002-2006), superior advisor (2006-2008) Constitutional Court of Slovenia
- Assistant Professor for criminal law and criminology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, 2005-2015
- Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 2006-2012
- Expert Member of the Council for Criminal Law, Ministry of Justice of Slovenia, 2008-2011
- Attorney specialised in criminal law, 2009-2016
- Associate Professor of criminal law, European Law Faculty in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, since 2012
- Judge of the European Court of Human Rights since 30 May 2016
- Vice-President of Section from 15 May 2019 to 17 May 2021
- President of Section from 1 January 2022 to 1 July 2024
- Vice-President of the Court from 1 November 2022 to 1 July 2024
- President of the Court since 2 July 2024.
Election of the President
The plenary Court elects its President for a period of three years (Rule 8 of the Rules of Court).
President Marko Bošnjak
Official visits
Meeting between the ECHR and the three highest French judicial bodies to mark the 75th anniversary of the Convention
On 6 February 2025, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, led a delegation of ECHR Judges to Paris for a meeting with the Constitutional Council, the Conseil d’État and the Court of Cassation, to mark the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights. Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.

Meeting between the ECHR and the three highest French judicial bodies to mark the 75th anniversary of the Convention
On 6 February 2025, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, led a delegation of ECHR Judges to Paris for a meeting with the Constitutional Council, the Conseil d’État and the Court of Cassation, to mark the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights. Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court and the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Spain
On 31 January 2025, Inmaculada Montalbán Huertas, the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Spain, and Dimitry Berberoff, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Spain, visited the Court and were received by President Marko Bošnjak. María Elósegui, Judge elected in respect of Spain, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.

Visit by the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court and the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Spain
On 31 January 2025, Inmaculada Montalbán Huertas, the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Spain, and Dimitry Berberoff, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Spain, visited the Court and were received by President Marko Bošnjak. María Elósegui, Judge elected in respect of Spain, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the President of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia
On 31 January 2025, Miodrag Đorđević, the President of the Supreme Court of Slovenia, and Špelca Mežnar, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, representing its President, visited the Court and were received by President Marko Bošnjak.

Visit by the President of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia
On 31 January 2025, Miodrag Đorđević, the President of the Supreme Court of Slovenia, and Špelca Mežnar, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, representing its President, visited the Court and were received by President Marko Bošnjak.
Visit by the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine
On 30 January 2025, Stanislav Kravchenko, the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Mykola Gnatovskyy, Judge elected in respect of Ukraine, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.

Visit by the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine
On 30 January 2025, Stanislav Kravchenko, the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Mykola Gnatovskyy, Judge elected in respect of Ukraine, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the President of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State of the Netherlands
On 30 January 2025, Rosa Uylenburg, the President of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State of the Netherlands, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Jolien Schukking, Judge elected in respect of the Netherlands, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.

Visit by the President of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State of the Netherlands
On 30 January 2025, Rosa Uylenburg, the President of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State of the Netherlands, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Jolien Schukking, Judge elected in respect of the Netherlands, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland
On 30 January 2025, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC, Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Tim Eicke, Judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.

Visit by the Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland
On 30 January 2025, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC, Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland, visited the Court and was received by President Marko Bošnjak. Tim Eicke, Judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Events Presidency
On 4 February 2025, the President of the ECHR, Marko Bošnjak, delivered the UCL (University College London) Institute for Human Rights Annual Lecture, addressing the role of the Court in protecting the Rule of Law in Europe, at the UCL Faculty of Law in London.
On 28 January 2025, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, delivered a speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in a debate on the need for a renewed rules-based international order held in the Hemicycle of the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. He was accompanied by Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court.
On 10 January 2025, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, attended the Solemn Hearing for the opening of the judicial year at the French Court of Cassation in Paris. He was accompanied by Mattias Guyomar, Section President and Judge elected in respect of France.
On 10 December 2024, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, accompanied by Krzysztof Wojtyczek, Judge elected in respect of Poland, attended the 15th Warsaw Human Rights Seminar organised by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 65th anniversary of the ECHR. President Bošnjak delivered a keynote speech on the role of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Court in strengthening democratic institutions on that occasion.
On 5 December 2024, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, attended a high-level conference on the effectiveness of ombudsman institutions and national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in tackling contemporary challenges, organised in Bled (Slovenia), on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia. President Bošnjak delivered a keynote speech on that occasion.
On 28 November 2024, the President of the Court, Marko Bošnjak, attended a conference organised by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice, in Bern, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Switzerland’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. He was accompanied by Andreas Zünd, Judge elected in respect of Switzerland. President Bošnjak and Judge Zünd both delivered an address on that occasion.
- Speech by President Marko Bošnjak (in French only)
Former Presidents of the Court
(British)
President from 5 May 1971 to 21 January 1974