Speech by the President of the Constitutional Court Aldis Laviņš at the opening of the meeting between the Constitutional Court of Latvia and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to be held within framework of the project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine”, implemented as part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Partnership for Good Governance”
Krakow, 9 May 2024
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Time goes fast, our project is also gaining momentum! Welcome at our meeting on exchange experience on the use of the right to file a constitutional individual complaint within the eagerly anticipated project, “Support for the Development of Constitutional Justice in Ukraine”.
I will emphasize again that we are honoured and delighted that the Latvian Constitutional Court has been nominated as the primary cooperation partner of this project. Such a credit of trust given to the Latvian Constitutional Court confirms belief in the values that the Court upholds in its activities. Among our top priorities and points of pride is our commitment to supporting the full integration of the Ukrainian legal system into the legal space of a united Europe. On the other hand, we have been equal partners with our Ukrainian colleagues for many years, sharing our experience and case law.
Yet, let us underscore what matters most. Today, we discuss cooperation and support, but in our conviction is that our relationship with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine goes beyond these concepts – it embodies true friendship!
We deeply appreciate and admire the strength and commitment displayed by our Ukrainian colleagues amidst the challenges of war. You not only persevere in your work to ensure the continuity of constitutional control, a minimum imperative, but also aspire to actively develop and enhance your competencies. This commitment to development serves as a guarantor of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in the future Ukraine – democratic state governed by the rule of law within the family of developed European countries.
As we support our colleagues, we, too, experience growth, and we are grateful for the trust placed in us. May our joint efforts lead to shared success!
I am very glad that in the current geopolitical turbulence we were able to organize our meeting in such a short time. Since our last meeting, the world’s family of Constitutional courts has also become more active – Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice supported the resolution proposed by the Constitutional Court of Latvia on restoring the international legal order!
The most remarkable thing is that during this period of war we collaborated not less often, but much more often. Crisis situations push away the weak, but unite the strong. The times of Russian aggression became unifying – we found new platforms for cooperation, where we became influential players in the united family of world and European constitutional justice. Together we achieved the withdrawal of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation from the world and European society of constitutional justice. Also, only thanks to our united position, the Constitutional Court of Latvia was approved as a member of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice.