On 22 January 2026, the President of the Court and judge elected in respect of France, Mattias Guyomar, delivered the opening remarks at the Franco-German cultural exchange, held in Strasbourg.

The President addressed participants on the theme “The bonds between the European Court of Human Rights and culture.”

“Law shapes culture, and is shaped by culture in return. At the same time, it recognises culture as a social and political reality, as can be seen in certain judgments of the European Court,” he said. He also referred to examples of the Court’s case-law relating to the European cultural heritage.
The President went on to highlight several concrete examples of interaction between the Court and the cultural sphere: the exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of the Human Rights Building, the screening of Costa-Gavras’s acclaimed film Z at the “Le Cosmos” cinema in Strasbourg, and the installation ceremony for the Paperbomb sculpture by German-Italian artist Nezilla.

Concluding his speech, President Guyomar stated: “Law and culture are also inextricably linked because humanism is underpinned by a political conception of human rights.”

Anja Seibert-Fohr, the judge elected in respect of Germany, accompanied the President to the event.

• Speech by President Mattias Guyomar (in French only)