On 16 June 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, addressed the participants of the informal conference of Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg. Taking place under the Monegasque Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the conference focused on combating financial crime with an aim to enhance judicial systems’ ability to address current financial and technological threats.

The President of the Court spoke about the Court’s role in ensuring the effectiveness of the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. 

He noted that the Convention system is particularly well-suited to support and accompany the action of States in combatting financial crime.

“The Convention constitutes the common legal framework in Europe within which the actions carried out by States must unfold,” said President Guyomar, adding that the Convention guarantees contribute to legitimising the measures that States adopt.

Citing the Court’s case-law, the President concluded that the fight against financial crime - a matter of public order and a democratic imperative – should be anchored in a framework that fully respects the rule of law, including at the international level.

• Speech by President Mattias Guyomar (in French only)

On 15 June 2026, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, was invited to address the Court’s Judges during one of their Plenary meetings.

On 12 June 2026, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, participated in the Conference of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union, which took place in Limassol, Cyprus.

The morning session focused on Rule of Law: Challenges in the 21^st Century. Following a moderated discussion by Mr Donal O’Donnell, Chief Justice of Ireland and President of the Network, the speakers and the Presidents, including President Guyomar, had the opportunity to exchange views on the most significant challenges to the rule of law in Europe and beyond; the lessons that can be learned from jurisdictions that have experienced democratic backsliding or erosion of the rule of law; the need to promote judicial dialogue and cooperation; and the importance of protecting judicial independence. The afternoon session was devoted to discussions on Protecting individuals’ rights in the digital sphere – the impact of the Digital Services Act.

On 4 and 5 June 2026, the focal points of the Superior Courts Network, which comprises 112 member courts and eight observer courts, gathered in Strasbourg to share knowledge and advance judicial dialogue.

During the opening session, moderated by the Court’s Jurisconsult, Anna Austin, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, highlighted that such meetings are a practical expression of courts’ shared responsibility for applying the Convention, within a system where the European Court of Human Rights plays a subsidiary supervisory role while domestic courts are at the forefront. He added that this meeting is also an opportunity to develop working relationships and strengthen personal ties.

The President then referred to the topic of Business and Human Rights, a transversal theme for which a new page has been launched on the Court’s Knowledge Sharing platform. The President elaborated on how the Court has dealt with cases concerning business: cases brought by businesses challenging regulations, and cases concerning the State’s positive obligations to regulate business activities where they may have affected the rights of individuals.

In her introductory remarks, the Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, underlined that the Court has developed the doctrine of “positive obligations”, recognising that States are required not only to refrain from interfering with Convention rights, but also to regulate business actors in order to ensure their effective protection.

Samuel Vuelta Simon, Secretary of State for Justice of Monaco, and Gianluca Esposito, Director General of the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, also addressed the participants during the opening session.

• Introductory speech by President Mattias Guyomar

On 1-2 June 2026 the International Congress on the Rule of Law and Judicial Ethics took place at the National High Court of Brazil in Brasilia, assembling Presidents and Chief Justices’ of courts and jurisdictions from across the world, as well as distinguished academics. Hosted by the National High Court of Brazil and its Chief Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin and advised by a committee including Professor Margaret Satterthwaite (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers) the Congress fostered dialogue among judges on the importance and relevance of ethical frameworks, including the 2002 Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, as well as the necessity of adhering to the judiciaries’ essential values of independence, impartiality and equity. The eight roundtable events addressed different aspects of judicial ethics including on new challenges relating to social media and artificial intelligence. President Guyomar addressed the Congress on Judges and the Rule of Law, and Judicial Independence. The Congress also heard from Chief Justices from superior courts across Europe, South America and Africa, as well as Judicial representatives from other regional courts including the European Court of Justice and the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The Congress was an exceptional meeting at which the European Court participated fully in an international network expressing solidarity between judges. A report summarizing the key points and conclusions will be produced after the event.

On 29 May 2026, the sixth colloquium on the theme Dialogue between the European Court of Human Rights and academia, organised jointly by the Court, the Faculty of Law of the University of Strasbourg and the Carré de Malberg Institute, was held in Strasbourg with the participation of the Court’s President, Mattias Guyomar. Marko Bošnjak, Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union and former President of the European Court of Human Rights, was also invited.

The following judges of the Court took part: Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium and organiser of the colloquium; Diana Sarcu, judge elected in respect of the Republic of Moldova; Alain Chablais, judge elected in respect of Liechtenstein; Canòlic Mingorance Cairat, judge elected in respect of Andorra; and Hugh Mercer, judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom, alongside Professors Emeritus of the University of Strasbourg Florence Benoit-Rohmer (organiser of the conference) and Patrick Wachsmann, as well as Professors Matthieu Maisonneuve of the University of Aix-Marseille, Isabelle Rorive of the Free University of Brussels, Ledi Bianku of the University of Strasbourg (organiser of the conference), Peggy Ducoulombier of the University of Strasbourg, Marion Larché of the University of Lille, Dominic McGoldrick of the University of Nottingham and Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou of the University of Liverpool, as well as students and legal staff of the Court.

Mattias Guyomar delivered the opening address, emphasising the importance of dialogue between the Court and academia on human rights issues and outlining recent developments relating to the Court’s judicial activity.

During the conference, four major and topical themes were addressed by the Court’s judges and professors.

Judge Sarcu spoke on freedom of expression for judicial actors; Judge Chablais presented recent case-law on migration; Judge Mingorance Cairat addressed the subject of freedom of assembly and the suppression of protest; and Judge Mercer outlined the challenges facing sports arbitration in the light of fundamental rights.

Frédéric Krenc, judge elected in respect of Belgium, summarised the conclusions of this fruitful exchange between the Court’s case-law and academia.