The delegation of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina consisting of the President of the Constitutional Court of BiH Mirsad Ćeman, Vice-Presidents of the Constitutional Court of BiH Mato Tadić and Zlatko M. Knežević and Judge of the Constitutional Court of BiH Valerija Galić are in the official visit of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (on 30 and 31 August 2016).
The visit of the delegation of the Constitutional Court of BiH to the European Court of Human Rights was agreed upon early March but due to various commitments it was realised at this time.
As of 1997, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains a continuous cooperation with the constitutional and other highest national courts, the Council of Europe, particularly with the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission for Democracy through Law as well as with the European Conference of Constitutional Courts, World Conference of Constitutional Courts and other international organisations, institutions and associations.
President Ćeman and delegation of the Constitutional Court of BiH met with the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Guido Raimondi and attended the workshop/exchange of experience with judges of the European Court of Human Rights. They also held a working meeting with the judge of the European Court of Human Rights elected on behalf of BiH, Faris Vehabović, and lawyers of the European Court from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The two courts confirmed an ongoing fruitful cooperation in relation to the protection and promotion of the fundamental human rights and freedoms during the meeting with the President Raimondi. Ideas were exchanged on the improvement of that cooperation. President Raimondi thanked the delegation for a visit emphasizing a visible high quality of decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH.
During the workshop with the Judges of the European Court of Human Rights, the topic was an experience in implementation of decisions of the European Court as well as individual decisions of the two courts interesting from the legal point of view.
In the morning hours of the second day of the visit to the European Court, the delegation of the Constitutional Court of BiH will attend one of the hearings of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. The delegation of the Court is scheduled to return after having attended the hearing.
International multilateral and bilateral cooperation represents a framework within which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina promotes its doctrine, experience and case-law especially in the domain of the rule of law, protection and promotion of the significance of compliance with the human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this manner, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina contributes to the European civilizational and legal legacy while at the same time being inspired by it.
The fact that the national courts recognize the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, as a court authority outside national scope, represents a significant fact that results in creation of the universal system of human rights protection and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law through development of relationship between European Court of Human Rights and national constitutional courts inter alia. In that respect, national constitutional and other courts and European Court of Human Rights are setting up high standards with mutual tolerance.
