The first in person conference in a long time provided an opportunity for academics, politicians and practitioners to exchange ideas and discuss achievements and challenges for the protection of fundamental and human rights. In addition to the 40 participants on site, more than 120 people followed the conference via livestream.

The conference was opened by the Federal Minister of Justice, Alma Zadić, the Vice-President of the Austrian Constitutional Court, Verena Mader, the Member of the Board of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Michael Stampfer, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna, Brigitta Zöchling-Jud. The Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution, Karoline Edtstadler, was invited to give the keynote speech. In her keynote speech, Federal Minister Edtstadler emphasised the value of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for the protection of fundamental rights in Europe: “The guarantees of the ECHR reflect the fundamental values of Europe, such as democracy, the rule of law, freedom and human dignity, and have thus made a significant contribution to a general legal culture in Europe”.

Franz Merli, University Professor at the Institute for Constitutional and Administrative Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna, and Rupert Wolff, President of the Austrian Bar Association, started the main part of the conference by addressing the significance and need for reform of the ECHR in Austria. Michael Lysander Fremuth, host of the conference and university professor for fundamental and human rights at the University of Vienna, as well as Scientific Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights, shed light on the significance of the ECHR for the German legal system and drew comparisons with the legal situation in Austria. Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of the Legal and International Law Division of the Council of Europe, provided insights into the current efforts surrounding the accession of the European Union to the ECHR. Klaus Famira from the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs discussed the significance of the ECHR for Austrian foreign policy. Michael Holoubek, judge at the Austrian Constitutional Court and university professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, then discussed the value of the “evolutionary” or “dynamic” interpretation of the ECHR. The presentations were rounded off by a paper on the derivation of social legal rights by the ECHR by Wolfgang Mazal, university professor at the Institute for Labour Law at the University of Vienna, and the presentation by Hannes Tretter, board member of the Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights, on the overloading, judicial self-restraint and non-observance of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The conference ended with a discussion between the President of the Supreme Court, Elisabeth Lovrek, the former judge at the ECJ, Maria Berger, the judge at the Austrian Constitutional Court, Ingrid Siess-Scherz, and Sabrina Wittmann-Puri, lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights. The discussion focused on the question of which courts were in the driver’s seat with regard to the protection of fundamental and human rights.

Videos from the conference:

Opening of the conference:

• Alma Zadić, Federal Minister of Justice
• Verena Mader, Vice-President of the Austrian Constitutional Court
• Michael Stampfer, Member of the Board of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft
• Brigitta Zöchling-Jud, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna

Begrüßung Tagung 70 Jahre (+1) Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

Keynote:

• Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution

Keynote Tagung 70 Jahre (+1) Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

Panel 1:

• Franz Merli, University Professor at the Institute for Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Vienna

Panel 1 Franz Merli Tagung 70 Jahre (+1) Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

• Rupert Wolff, President of the Austrian Bar Association

Panel 1 Rupert Wolff Tagung 70 (+1) Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

Panel 2:

• Michael Lysander Fremuth, Scientific Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights & University Professor for Fundamental and Human Rights at the University of Vienna
• Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of the Legal and International Law Division of the Council of Europe

Panel 2 Tagung 70 (+1) Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

Panel 3:

• Klaus Famira, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
• Michael Holoubek, Judge at the Austrian Constitutional Court & University Professor at the Vienna University of Economics

Panel 3 Tagung 70 (+1) Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

Panel 4:

• Wolfgang Mazal, University Professor at the Institute for Labour Law at the University of Vienna
• Hannes Tretter, Member of the Board of the Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights

Panel 4 Tagung 70 (+1) Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention

In Discussion:

• Elisabeth Lovrek, President of the Supreme Court
• Maria Berger, former judge at the ECJ
• Ingrid Siess-Scherz, Judge at the Austrian Constitutional Court
• Sabrina Wittmann-Puri, lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights

Im Gespräch Tagung 70 (+1) Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention