The Justices of the Constitutional Court go on an official visit to Germany
From 2 to 4 July, the Justices of the Constitutional Court will go on an official visit to the German city of Karlsruhe, where they will meet with the judges of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and of the German Federal Court of Justice.
The visit will commence by visiting the German Federal Court of Justice. During the meeting, the Justices of the Constitutional Court will have the possibility to find out in greater detail about the role of the German Federal Court of Justice within the legal system of Germany, as well as to gain an insight into the way the work of this Court is organised. A joint discussion of the judges on topical issues of the constitutional law is planned.
The visit will continue at the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany in two working sessions. Four topics that are important for the constitutional courts of both countries will be discussed.
The first working session will be moderated by the President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany Andreas Voßkuhle. During this session, the judges will debate the judicial dialogue between the national constitutional courts and the European courts and will also discuss the recent rulings by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia and the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany.
The second working session, in turn, will be moderated by the Vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany Ferdinand Kirchhof. The judges will discuss the discretion of the State in introducing new taxes and in adopting laws related to the state budget and will also analyse the protection of fundamental rights in the digital age.
The Constitutional Court has developed a long-standing cooperation with the both German courts referred to above. The judges of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany visited Latvia in 2015, whereas the judges from the German Federal Court of Justice – in 2009. Moreover, the judges of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany regularly participate at the international conferences organised by the Latvian Constitutional Court. This cooperation not only enriches the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia, allowing to follow the recent trends in the German case law and in the legal doctrine, but also opens up the possibilities for it to become involved in searching for common solutions to legal issues of European importance.