President Síofra O’Leary - ECHR - ECHR
Presidency of the Court
Síofra O’Leary
Born on 20 September 1968 in Dublin, Ireland
- Bachelor of Civil Law, University College Dublin, Ireland, 1986-1989
- PhD, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, 1989-1993
- Visiting Fellow and Research Associate, Department of Public International Law, University of Cádiz, Spain, and Institute for Public Policy Research, London, United Kingdom, 1994-1996
- Assistant Director of the Centre for European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1995-1996
- Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1995-1996
- Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Law, University College Dublin, Ireland, 1999-2004
- Référendaire, Chef de Cabinet and Head of Unit, Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg, 1996-2015
- Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, since 2003
- Member of the Editorial Board of the Common Market Law Review, 2012-2015
- Member of the Advisory Boards of the Common Market Law Review and the Irish Centre for European Law
- Honorary Bencher of the Honorable Society of the King’s Inns, Ireland
- Judge of the European Court of Human Rights since 2 July 2015
- President of Section from 1 January 2020 to 31 October 2022
- Vice-President of the Court from 2 January to 31 October 2022
- President of the Court since 1 November 2022.
Election of the President
The plenary Court elects its President for a period of 3 years.
The President directs the work and administration of the Court. He/she represents the Court and, in particular, is responsible for its relations with the authorities of the Council of Europe. The President presides at plenary meetings of the Court, meetings of the Grand Chamber and meetings of the panel of 5 judges.
Official visits
Official visit by Niyazi Acar, Deputy Minister of Justice of Türkiye
On 19 September 2023, Niyazi Acar, Deputy Minister of Justice of Türkiye, visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Saadet Yüksel, Judge elected in respect of Türkiye, and Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
On 13 September 2023 Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Yonko Grozev, judge elected in respect of Bulgaria, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia
On 11 September 2023 a delegation from the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, headed by its President, Matej Accetto, paid a working visit to the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. During the visit the delegation took part in roundtable discussions with judges of the Court and members of the Registry.
Visit by France’s Minister of Justice
On 8 September 2023 Éric Dupond-Moretti, France’s Minister of Justice, visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Mattias Guyomar, judge elected in respect of France, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the French Minister Delegate for Territorial Organisation and the Health Professions
On 10 July 2023 Agnès Firmin le Bodo, French Minister Delegate for Territorial Organisation and the Health Professions, attached to the Minister for Health and Prevention, visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the Secretary General of the European Judicial Training Network
On 10 July 2023 Ingrid Derveaux, Secretary General of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Abel Campos, Deputy Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Visit by the President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
On 4 July 2023 Jacek Chlebny, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland, visited the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the meeting.
Speeches by the President
On 21 September 2023, President Síofra O’Leary took part in the international conference on The Role of the Judiciary in Execution of Judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, organised in Riga, by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia, in the framework of Latvia’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. President O’Leary delivered a keynote speech on the topic “Execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the Rule of Law”. Mārtiņš Mits, judge elected in respect of Latvia, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also participated in the conference.
On 8 September 2023, President Síofra O’Leary delivered a speech at a ceremony in memory of Jean-Paul Costa, former President of the Court, organised by the Permanent Representation of France to the Council of Europe. Mattias Guyomar, judge elected in respect of France, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, also attended the ceremony.
- Speech by President Síofra O’Leary (in French only)
President Síofra O’Leary delivered a keynote speech at the "EUnited for Diversity II" International Conference on The Rule of Law and Constitutional Diversity, held in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 31 August and 1 September 2023. Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium, and Kateřina Šimáčková, judge elected in respect of the Czech Republic, also participated in the conference. On the side of the conference, President O’Leary held a bilateral meeting with Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice of the European Commission.
President Síofra O’Leary delivered a keynote speech on The Reykjavík Summit and its impact on human rights protection in Europe at the 2023 HELP Network Conference which was held at the Palais de l’Europe, in Strasbourg, on 6-7 July 2023.
On 29 June 2023 President Síofra O’Leary delivered a speech during her exchange of views with the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg. She was accompanied by Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court.
Events President
On 2 October 2023 President Síofra O’Leary delivered the keynote speech at the official ceremony held at the Constitutional Court of Austria, in Vienna, on the occasion of Constitution Day, in the presence of Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal President of the Republic of Austria. President O’Leary was accompanied by Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer, Section President and Judge elected in respect of Austria. On the side of the event, President O’Leary held bilateral meetings with Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the European Union and Constitution, and Alma Zadić, Federal Minister of Justice.
President Síofra O’Leary took part in the 2nd Judicial Forum Gender Equality and the Western Balkans in Belgrade on 2 June 2023. Ivana Jelić, judge elected in respect of Montenegro, Erik Wennerström, judge elected in respect of Sweden, Saadet Yüksel, judge elected in respect of Türkiye, Ioannis Ktistakis, judge elected in respect of Greece, and Kateřina Šimáčková, judge elected in respect of the Czech Republic, also attended the Forum.
On 16 and 17 May 2023 President Síofra O’Leary represented the Court at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik (Iceland). She delivered a statement on that occasion and held bilateral meetings with: Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic; Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova; Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium; Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia; Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland; Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg; Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.