Judges of the Constitutional Court of Latvia meet with Didier Reynders, the European Commissioner for Justice
Today, 10 February, Didier Reynders, the European Commissioner for Justice, visited the Constitutional Court of Latvia. The judges of the Constitutional Court of Latvia discussed with the Commissioner and members of his Cabinet the process of preparing the European Commission’s annual rule of law report, the establishment of a special international tribunal to try Russian aggression in Ukraine and other issues of current interest in the European legal area.
In the context of the preparation of the annual rule of law report, the European Commissioner for Justice stressed the need to continue discussions on improving the mechanisms for the enforcement of decisions of courts at all levels, including the Constitutional Court of Latvia, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union, and praised the standard of independence of the judiciary in the Republic of Latvia. The parties discussed various aspects of the need to avoid political pressure on the judiciary, on the one hand, and at the same time the need for parliamentary debate on the confirmation of judges, on the other.
The President of the Constitutional Court informed the Commissioner for Justice about the preparatory work carried out by the Court in order for the Constitutional Court to join the project e‑lieta, thus facilitating the accessibility of the Constitutional Court to everyone. Didier Reynders focused on one of the European Commission’s priorities – the need to digitise as much as possible the activities of public authorities, including the judiciary.
A key item on the agenda was the need for a special international tribunal to try Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The parties discussed the role of constitutional courts, the establishment of such a tribunal being raised in the international legal arena, and the possibility that some issues related to the establishment or functioning of the tribunal might also be brought before the Constitutional Court. The work of the Constitutional Court of Latvia in representing the views of other European constitutional courts at the meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice in March this year may also play an important role in advancing the establishment of the abovementioned tribunal.
The Constitutional Court of Latvia and the Commissioner for Justice of the European Commission welcomed the active dialogue between the Constitutional Court and the judicial institutions of the European Union, which strengthens democracy, the rule of law and confidence in the law. The active cooperation between the constitutional courts and the European Commission will also be promoted by the Conference of the Constitutional Courts of the European Union in Brussels in November this year.