The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg hosted the third Focal Points Forum of the Superior Court Network (SCN) on 6 and 7 June 2019.
The overall aim of the SCN is to enrich dialogue between the Strasbourg Court and the national Superior Courts, a dialogue focused on exchanging knowledge on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) case-law and related matters. The SCN enables member superior courts to have a point of contact within the Strasbourg Court through which Convention case-law information can be provided. The President of the ECHR has entrusted the management of the SCN to the Jurisconsult of the ECHR.
Since its launch in October 2015, the network has grown quickly. By June 2019, membership stands at 78 courts from 36 States.
The SCN Forum’s rich agenda included the presentation of the SCN knowledge-sharing platform and workshops on the topics of migration and terrorism.
In his opening speech, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Sicilianos, thanked the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law for its cooperation and contribution to the organisation of the SCN Forum and highlighted the role of the HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) Programme to the dissemination of the ECHR jurisprudence.
Mikhail Lobov, Head of Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department of the Council of Europe addressed the Forum underlining the common overarching goal of the SCN and Council of Europe co-operation programmes: the effective national implementation of the Convention and welcoming breakthrough initiatives like the SCN knowledge-sharing platform in light of the still insufficient convention-related knowledge and skills at the national level. “If all the knowledge accumulated in Europe on the Convention could be effectively transmitted and anchored within European courts at large - this would no doubt be the best service one could pay to the principle of subsidiarity”. M. Lobov also mentioned that knowledge sharing is also at the heart of the Council of Europe HELP Programme “which increasingly shapes human rights education in Europe”, thanking the Court for its outstanding co-operation with HELP. He also stressed the need to mobilise further resources to help national judges benefit fully from what he would call a goldmine of Convention-related know-how that has been accumulated during the 60 years of its existence.
Presentation of the HELP Programme
Speech by Judge Sicilianos, President of the European Court of Human Rights
Speech by Mikhail Lobov, Head of Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Council of Europe
