Justices of the Constitutional Court of Latvia and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Mārtiņš Mits talk about recent developments in the courts’ case law

18.05.2021.

On Friday, 14 May, Justices of the Constitutional Court met remotely with Mārtiņš Mits, judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The judges discussed legal matters of current importance, the recent case law of the two courts, and talked about methodological issues.

The President of the Constitutional Court Sanita Osipova underscored the need for a regular dialogue, aimed at reinforcing a common understanding of legal issues, the two courts’ case law, and facilitating mutual cooperation between the courts.

“This kind of dialogue among judges is valuable as it provides the possibility to discuss various legal topics from both the national and international perspective. The Latvian legal system and European human rights case law are inseparable. European standards of human rights, as well as the ECHR case law, are binding on Latvia.”

Emphasising the need for a dialogue between courts, the ECHR judge Mārtiņš Mits stressed:

 “The European Court of Human Rights is not and cannot be aloof from the processes that are taking place in European member states. Each situation needs to be assessed using the articulated standards of human rights. It is important that we continue the annual tradition and communicate with judges in Latvia to share experience and learn about the current legal issues at the national level.”