Cooperation Agreement
Background note
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe, international administrative tribunals participating in the closed session held in Strasbourg on 13 October 2025 considered an initiative to encourage closer informal cooperation among them. The discussions reflected a shared interest in sustaining regular judicial dialogue while maintaining a light, agile approach that would avoid any formal network architecture or undue administrative burden for participating tribunals. In that spirit, participants agreed to establish an interim Steering Group with the mandate of revising the initial proposal in light of the views expressed and of preparing a simple, collegial basis for exchanges.
The understanding which emerged at the Strasbourg meeting is that cooperation under such an agreement should remain strictly voluntary, practical and adaptable. Initially, an Executive Committee comprising five members would be established, with the possibility of increasing this number by a decision of the participant tribunals if necessary, depending on the level of participation of tribunals in the Agreement. To support continuity and openness, the Committee will aim to hold regular online meetings and ensure transparent communication regarding its activities. In order to facilitate swift exchanges between tribunals, a consolidated list of focal-point contacts for participating tribunals will be set up.
Administrative support for the Executive Committee will initially be provided by the Registry of the Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe, with the option of moving in due course to a shared or rotating secretariat among willing tribunals. Periodic meetings of participating tribunals are foreseen, without a fixed frequency, so that the rhythm of engagement reflects the availability and interest of participants. Exchanges conducted under the Agreement will naturally occur in the spirit of discretion and integrity inherent in dialogue regarding judicial and ancillary matters. In the same spirit of inclusiveness, the composition of the Executive Committee should strive for an appropriate geographical balance, drawing on broadly recognised international practice.
The Cooperation Agreement1 is therefore conceived as providing an agile point of reference to support informal dialogue, mutual understanding and practice-oriented exchanges among participant tribunals.
1. For the Cooperation Agreement, it was decided to use the spelling ‘cooperation’, which is more widely employed beyond the institutional framework of the Council of Europe.
