Abstract

This lecture takes its cue from a double anniversary: 75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights and 25 years of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. While Europe’s highest courts are sometimes portrayed as rivals, they are above all allies in the adjudication of fundamental rights. Examples from climate, migration, and foreign affairs illustrate that the deepest tensions lie not between courts, but between courts and politics, especially in an age of polarisation. In that very context, Europe’s courts can draw strength from the ECHR, the Charter — and from each other.

The lecture will be chaired by Professor Thomas Beukers. Thomas works as a legal advisor on European law at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4 days a week. He works as a professor by special appointment of Institutional Law and Practice of the European Union.