Seminars and lectures at the Court
2025
Conference on the Intersection of Human Rights and Criminal Law
On 26 May 2025, the ECHR hosted a conference titled The Court’s Jurisprudence at the Intersection of Human Rights and Criminal Law.
Organised to mark the conclusion of President Marko Bošnjak’s mandate as judge elected in respect of Slovenia and President of the Court, the event brought together around 80 participants, including judges, ambassadors, legal professionals, members of the Court’s Registry, and staff of the Council of Europe.
Discussions centred on themes such as procedural guarantees in criminal law through the lens of the Court’s case law; contemporary issues of detention in the recent jurisprudence of the Court; the Court’s standards on the inter-agency exchange of personal data; and the synergies between the Court and academia.
High-Level Roundtable on Immigration and Asylum Concludes in Strasbourg
On 15 and 16 May 2025, a High-Level Roundtable titled “Judicial Dialogue through the Case-Law of the CJEU, the ECtHR, and National Courts in the Field of International Protection” was held at the premises of the Court in Strasbourg.
This event, a tradition since 2012, brought together around 150 judges and legal experts to discuss recent legal developments and case-law, including issues related to the concept of safe countries and return procedures.
The roundtable was co-organised by the Court, the European Union Agency for Asylum, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges, and the Association of European Administrative Judges.
Conference: Dialogue between the ECHR and academia
A conference organised jointly by the European Court of Human Rights, the University of Strasbourg Law Faculty, and the Carré de Malberg Research Institute (IRCM), on the subject of Dialogue between the European Court of Human Rights and academia, took place in the Human Rights Building on 25 April 2025.
- Programme (in French only)
Conference: Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights
A conference organised jointly by the ECHR and the European Society of International Law, on the subject Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: New Horizons in European Legal Protection, took place in the Human Rights Building on 24 April 2025.
Conference on launching the new language versions of Knowledge Sharing platform
To mark the launch of the new Romanian-, Turkish- and Ukrainian-language versions of the Court’s Knowledge Sharing (ECHR-KS) platform, a high-level conference was held on 27 February 2025 at the ECHR and online.
The event was organised within the framework of the project Enhancing Subsidiarity: Support to the ECHR Knowledge-sharing and Superior Courts Dialogue (Subsidiarity Project) which is a collaboration between the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law.
2024
European Convention on Human Rights and international refugee law compliant procedures at state borders
A seminar organised jointly by the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights and the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) Representation to the European Institutions in Strasbourg, on the subject European Convention on Human Rights and international refugee law compliant procedures at state borders, took place in the Human Rights Building on 25 October 2024.
- Programme
- Biographies
- Bibliography
- Speech by President Marko Bošnjak
- Speech by Philippe Leclerc
- Speech by Catherine Woollard
- Speech by Kateřina Šimáčková
- Speech by Clare Brown
- Speech by Luca Perilli
- Speech by Michael Hoppe
- Closing remarks by Andreas Wissner
- Closing remarks by Abel Campos
The articulation between the Convention and EU Law: past, present and future
On 14 June 2024 the ECHR held a half-day seminar on The articulation between the European Convention on Human Rights and European Union Law: past, present and future.
The event brought together voices from European and national judiciary, EU institutions and academia. On the occasion of the seminar the Court launched a new “ECHR/EU” page on its Knowledge-Sharing platform (ECHR-KS), a platform which provides Convention case-law analysis Article by Article, theme by theme, updated on a weekly basis. This new ECHR/EU KS page will over time include a series of factsheets, jointly produced by the Court and the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union (FRA), bringing together case-law from the ECHR and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Programme
Video of the seminar: English - French - Original language
Speech by Síofra O’Leary
Speech by Bjørn Berge
Speech by Andrius Krivas
Speech by Loïc Azoulai
Speech by Mattias Guyomar
Speech by Lars Bay Larsen
Speech by Marta Cartabia
Speech by Felix Ronkes Agerbeek
Speech by Daniel Sarmiento
Closing remarks by Dineke de Groot
2023
Seminar to mark the fifth anniversary of the coming into force of Protocol No. 16
20/10/2023
On 13 October the ECHR organised a half-day Seminar Judicial dialogue through the advisory opinion mechanism under Protocol No. 16 to mark the fifth anniversary of the coming into force of Protocol No. 16 and the advisory opinion mechanism. The Seminar gathered together superior court presidents from many Council of Europe member States (including from those States which have not ratified the Protocol) to take stock of how the mechanism is operating in practice and reflect on how it could develop in the future.
Video of the Seminar: English - Original language
Speech by Tim Eicke
Speech by Enrico Albanesi
Speech by Pauliine Koskelo
Speech by Christophe Soulard
2021
2020
Convention and Equality for LGBTI Persons
08/10/2020
A web conference on the topic A 'Living Instrument' For Everyone: The Role of the European Convention on Human Rights in Advancing Equality for LGBTI Persons took place at the Court on Thursday 8 October 2020.
Owing to the current restrictions the conference was not open to the public.
Programme
Videos of the Conference:
Human Rights for the Planet
05/10/2020
The Court hosted a web conference on the topic of human rights and environmental protection on Monday 5 October 2020.
Owing to the current restrictions the conference was not open to the public.
Programme
Videos of the Conference:
Opening speech by President Robert Spano
Opening speech by Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos
Milestones and major achievements
18/09/2020
To mark the 70th anniversary of the Convention the Court held a conference on 18 September 2020 entitled The European Convention on Human Rights at 70 - Milestones and major achievements. Leading figures from the judicial world took part in the celebrations, including by video link.
The topics addressed in the first part of the conference were Strengthening the rule of law and access to an independent court and Fostering a democratic form of governance. The roundtable sessions in the second part covered the following subjects: Promoting and ensuring diversity of family life, Meeting challenges of scientific and technological development and Promoting peace and integration among States. The conference was rounded off by a summary of the milestones and major achievements in the Convention’s history.
Programme
Videos od the conference:
Opening speech by President Robert Spano
Speech by Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos (in French only)
Speech by Jean-Paul Costa (in French only)
Speech by Rosario Silva de Lapuerta (in French only)
Speech by Georges Ravarani (in French only)
Speech by Yonko Grozev
Speech by Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen (in French only)
Speech by Dean Spielmann (in French only)
Speech by Ksenija Turković
Speech by Chantal Arens (in French ony)
Speech by Siofra O'Leary
Speech by Pere Pastor Vilanova (in French only)
Speech by Iulia Antoanella Motoc (in French only)
Speech by Angelika Nuβberger
Closing speech by Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos (in French only)
Closing speech by President Robert Spano
Conference on Women's Human Rights
14/02/2020
The ECHR, in cooperation with the René Cassin Foundation and the Consulate General of Japan in Strasbourg, held a conference Women's Human Rights in the 21st Century: Developments and Challenges in International and European Law on 14 February 2020.
Programme
Videos of the conference:
2018
Seminar organised by the ECHR and the IACtHR
09/11/2018
A seminar organised jointly by the Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the subject of adjudicating large-scale human rights violations was held at the Court on 9 November 2018.
Three panels addressed the topics of fact-finding and cooperation with respondent Governments, enforced disappearances, and international humanitarian law.
Programme
Conference on Comparative human rights
09/03/2018
A conference organised by the ECHR in cooperation with the Centre des études internationales et européennes, the International Academy of Comparative Law and the Fondation René Cassinon, Comparative human rights, took place at the ECHR on 8 and 9 March 2018. A number of eminent speakers addressed the conference on the following topics: Human rights: a regional concept?, Human rights: what universality?, Enforcement and effectiveness of human rights and The relevance of a world court of human rights.
Programme
Videos of the conference:
2017
Seminar on freedom of religion
28/04/2017
A high-level seminar on the theme of Freedom of religion in Europe: achievements and perspectives, organised jointly by the San Marino Permanent Representation and the CILP (Council on International Law and Politics), took place at the ECHR.
Programme
Videos of the conference:
Tribute to Judges Conforti and Ferrari Bravo
24/02/2017
A colloquium was held at the Court to pay tribute to former Judges Conforti and Ferrari Bravo, to honour their memory and to look back over their outstanding careers. Benedetto Conforti was a member of the European Commission of Human Rights from 1993 to 1998, then judge at the Court from 1998 to 2001. Luigi Ferrari Bravo was a judge at the Court from 1998 to 2001.
Programme
Seminars and lectures 2016
Seminars and lectures 2015
Conference on Europe in crisis
16/10/2015
The Court, in conjunction with the European Society of International Law (ESIL), organised a lecture entitled The European Court of Human Rights facing Europe in crisis.
Conference on General International law
05/06/2015
The Court, in conjunction with the European Society of International Law (ESIL), organised a conference entitled The European Convention on Human Rights and General International Law.
Programme
Seminar on Right to life
13/02/2015
A seminar tribute to Michael O'Boyle, former Deputy Registrar of the ECHR, has been organised by the International Institute of Human Rights in co-operation with the Court. The theme was: The Right To Life: Twenty Years of Legal Developments since McCann v. The United Kingdom.
Programme
Seminars and lectures 2013
European law on asylum, borders and immigration
11/06/2013
A handbook on European law on asylum, borders and immigration was launched at a seminar at the Court, which was organised jointly by the Court and the EUFundamental Rights Agency (FRA).
Opening speech by President Spielmann (in French only)
Opening speech by Morten Kjaerum
Speech by Olivier Beer
Speech by Jacek Chlebny
Speech by Isabelle Doyen (in French only)
Concluding remarks by François Crépeau
Seminars and lectures 2011
Seminar on European non-discrimination law
21/03/2011
A handbook on European non-discrimination law was launched at a seminar at the Court, which was organised jointly by the Court and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).
Progamme
Press release
Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4
Speech by President Costa (in French only)
Speech by Morten Kjaerum (in French only)
Meeting with R. Badinter
15/03/2011
Robert Badinter gave a talk at the Council of Europe on the subject France and the European Convention on Human Rights as seen by a privileged witness.
Seminars and lectures 2008
Regional Human Rights Courts
09/12/2008
Three Regional Human Rights Courts met in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 December 2008.
As part of the celebrations to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a seminar on regional human rights courts took place at the Court on 8 and 9 December 2008. The seminar was organised by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Strasbourg-based International Institute of Human Rights and the Court, and in association with the African Foundation for International Law and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
Press releaseThe 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
10 years of the "new" Court
01/11/2008
The 'new' Court was set up following the entry into force of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention on 1 November 1998. A single system was thus brought into existence allowing 800 million Europeans to apply directly to an international court if they considered themselves victims of a violation of their fundamental rights.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 'new' Court, President Costa hailed the establishment of the 'new' Court in 1998 as a landmark in the development of international human rights protection.
Proceedings of the seminar