On 10 June, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, met with the Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee, Changrok Soh, in Strasbourg. Accompanied by Ivana Jelić, Vice President and judge elected in respect of Montenegro, Anja Seibert Fohr, judge elected in respect of Germany, and Vasilka Sancin, judge elected in respect of Slovenia, the interlocutors exchanged on a number of substantive issues related to human-rights protection, as well as on the upcoming meeting with representatives of the United Nations Treaty Bodies, which will be held on 30 June in Strasbourg.

On 9 June 2026, the Minister of Justice of Portugal, Rita Alarcão Júdice, visited the Court and met President Mattias Guyomar. The judge elected in respect of Portugal, Ana Maria Guerra Martins, and the Deputy Registrar, Abel Campos, also attended the meeting. The interlocutors underlined Portugal’s support for the Court, the Convention system and its values. They recalled the importance of the Court’s continuous dialogue and engagement with the Portuguese judiciary.

• Video
• Country profile: Portugal

On 9 June 2026, Deputy Prime Minister for the Political System, Judiciary and Anti-Corruption of Montenegro, Momo Koprivica, visited the Court where he was hosted by President Mattias Guyomar, Vice-President Ivana Jelić, and Registrar Marialena Tsirli. The visit was an opportunity for the interlocutors to exchange how the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights has assisted Montenegro in its various reforms. Deputy Prime Minister Koprivica underlined Montenegro’s firm political will to implement the judgments of the Court.

• Video
• Country profile: Montenegro

On 4 June 2026, Luca Beccari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Digital Transition of San Marino, and Stefano Canti, Minister of Justice, Welfare and Family of San Marino, visited the Court, where they were received by the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, the judge elected in respect of San Marino, Gilberto Felici, and the Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli. The President welcomed San Marino’s firm commitment to the execution of the Court’s judgments and emphasised the shared responsibility for applying the Convention and the importance of protecting judicial independence.

• Country profile: San Marino

On 1 June 2026, Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, visited the Court, where she was received by Vice-President and judge elected in respect of Norway, Arnfinn Bårdsen, and the Court’s Jurisconsult, Anna Austin. The Vice-President acknowledged the expert contribution made by the Special Rapporteur’s mandate to the Court’s judicial work through third-party interventions and public references to the Court’s case-law. The Jurisconsult discussed the Court's case-law on environmental matters and referred to the activity of the Knowledge Sharing Platform.

On 28 May 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, received the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Gunn Marit Helgesen, to the Court. The Registrar, Marialena Tsirli, also attended the meeting. The two Presidents discussed strengthening cooperation between the two bodies, inter alia through the planning of a joint event which would give concrete examples of human rights related issues dealt with at the local level.

On 21 May 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, accompanied by the judge elected in respect of Portugal, Ana Maria Guerra Martins, and the Deputy Registrar, Abel Campos, visited Lisbon to participate in a conference marking the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s signature of the European Convention on Human Rights. During the visit, President Guyomar also met with the President of the Portuguese Republic, António José Seguro.

During his address at the conference Portugal and the European Convention on Human Rights (1976–2026) – From Accession to Influence, organised by Portugal’s Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Justice, Attorney General’s Office and Bar Association, the President of the Court spoke about the interplay between the Portuguese constitutional order and the Convention system; the dialogue between judges and courts as a living expression of the principle of subsidiarity in the service of the protection of rights; judicial solidarity as a tool for mutual assistance and for safeguarding judicial independence; the weakening of the rule of law and the challenge to judicial authority; and the shared responsibility of defending the rule of law and ensuring the proper functioning of the judiciary in Europe.

The judge elected in respect of Portugal, Ana Maria Guerra Martins, also addressed the participants on the topic The national perspective at the European Court of Human Rights.

The President concluded his visit by giving interviews to Público and to SIC.

• Speech by President Mattias Guyomar (in French only)

On 14 May, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, accompanied by the Deputy Registrar, Abel Campos, visited the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, where they met with its President, Domnica Manole, as well as judges and legal staff. During the meeting, both the President of the Constitutional Court and the President of the European Court of Human Rights addressed the participants, highlighting the importance of judicial dialogue, the application of the European Convention on Human Rights in domestic law, and the principle of subsidiarity.

The visit took place the day before the 135th Session of the Committee of Ministers, held in Chişinău.

From 12-13 May 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, together with the judge elected in respect of Romania, Sebastian Rădulețu, and the Deputy Registrar of the Court, Abel Campos, travelled to Bucharest, Romania, to meet with the President and the interim Prime Minister of Romania as well as with representatives of the highest Romanian judiciary.

The delegation was received by the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, and also met with the interim Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, exchanging on the continued importance of the protection of human rights in the current geopolitical context.

An afternoon was spent at the Constitutional Court of Romania where the delegation was greeted by its President, Professor Elena-Simina Tănăsescu, and by all judges of the court. President Guyomar and Judge Rădulețu held a working meeting with judges on the theme of constitutional democracy and rule of law, and on Protocol No. 16 to the Convention, which allows the highest courts and tribunals of a State Party to ask the Court to give advisory opinions on questions of principle relating to the interpretation or application of the rights and freedoms defined in the Convention or protocols.

President Guyomar highlighted how, over the course of its 75-year history, the Convention had repeatedly demonstrated its ability to bring about positive and tangible change for millions of people across Europe. What made it particularly exceptional was the way in which, by safeguarding individual rights, it helped to ensure the proper functioning of European democracies in the face of contemporary challenges.

The following afternoon the delegation was received by the President of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Lia Savonea, and held a working meeting with a large number of the court’s judges on the guarantees of judicial independence in the case-law of the European Court, and the application of the Convention in domestic law.

In their speeches, President Guyomar and Judge Rădulețu emphasised how, in applying the Convention, the Court fulfils its role as a watchdog and guardian of democracy and the rule of law, complementing and supporting national courts. A rich question and answer session followed, especially on the Court’s approach to requests for advisory opinions under Protocol No. 16.

The visit concluded with the President being interviewed by the State broadcaster TVR.