Federal Constitutional Court attends meeting in Vienna of the German-language constitutional courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights

Press Release No. 55/2021 of 06 July 2021

On 4 and 5 July 2021, a delegation from the Federal Constitutional Court headed by President Prof. Dr. Stephan Harbarth, LL.M. (Yale) and Vice-President Prof. Dr. Doris König travelled to Vienna to attend the meeting of the German-language constitutional courts of Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany, as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. They were received by the President of the Austrian Constitutional Court Univ.-Prof. DDr. Christoph Grabenwarter. The guests also included the President of the Swiss Federal Court Dr. iur. Martha Niquille, the President of the Liechtenstein State Court Dr. Hilmar Hoch, LL.M., the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union Prof. Koen Lenaerts and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Carlo Ranzoni. During the working sessions, the representatives of the courts exchanged views on the coexistence of various fundamental rights catalogues in the case-law of the constitutional and the European courts. The decisions regarding measures to fight the pandemic and how they relate to the rule of law and democracy were also addressed in the working sessions.

The meeting takes place every two years and is hosted by each of the participating institutions in turn.