On 12 October 2026, a delegation from the Court of Justice of the EU, led by its President Koen Lenaerts, paid a visit to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for the two courts’ regular annual bilateral meeting. 

This year’s discussions focused on the respective contributions of each court to the protection of fundamental rights and the rule of law across Europe, with particular attention to the independence of the judiciary, the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the area of sport, and the role of values in the Convention system and the EU system of fundamental rights protection. 

On the sidelines of the visit, President Mattias Guyomar and President Koen Lenaerts gave a joint interview titled Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: A dialogue between two Court Presidents. The interview centered on the distinct yet complementary roles of the two jurisdictions in shaping and safeguarding the European legal space, the concrete impact of their case-law on the daily lives of people across Europe, including young people, and the challenges facing both courts. The interview will be published on the websites and social media channels of the two courts.