Within the scope of the Joint Project “Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX)” co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe, a study visit to the CoE and the ECtHR for lawyers from the South-East Europe region, was organised on 23 and 24 April 2019 in Strasbourg.

Around 26 attorneys from all JUFREX countries/locations joined the study visit with the purpose of receiving relevant information pertinent to the freedom of expression and the media. The participants followed presentations on latest developments on the issues raised under Article 10 in the case law of the ECtHR, the findings and recommendations of the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights concerning the South East Europe region as well as on the CoE’s work on standard setting, both relative to the freedom of expression and the media.

Further in the course of the study visit, the participants gained in-depth information on the admissibility criteria for lodging an application before the ECtHR along with valuable information on the compliance with Rule 47 of the Rules of Court. In connection to this, the participants had the opportunity to follow a Grand chamber hearing before the ECtHR with a view to acquire applicable knowledge and skills related to the manner of representing before the Court as well as the legal reasoning behind ECtHR’s decisions.

The group of lawyers also attended a session on the CoE’s HELP programme which helped them understand the possibility of attending self-paced or tutored national courses to further deepen their knowledge, particularly as regards the freedom of expression and the media.

“This event has been implemented with the financial support of the EU. The views expressed therein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union”