October 30, 2024
On the Constitution Day of the Republic of Lithuania, October 25, 2024, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Galyna Yurovska participated in the Annual International Conference on constitutional law dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Lithuanian membership in the Council of Europe and to the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The international conference “Constitutional Dialogue: Who Determines Tendencies of Human Rights?”, organised by Mykolas Romeris University, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania and other partners, was held in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.
The opening remarks were delivered by the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Rector of Mykolas Romeris University Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, Chairperson of the Lithuanian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Emanuelis Zingeris and Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Irena Haase.
The International Conference was attended by the Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights Arnfinn Bårdsen, Judges of the European Court of Human Rights Mykola Gnatovsky, Artūrs Kučs, Gediminas Sagatys, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Lithuania to the Council of Europe in 1994–1999 Aurimas Taurantas, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania Vytautas Mizaras, Member of the Venice Commission, Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb, former President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia Jasna Omejec, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania Danguolė Bublienė, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Lithuania Skirgailė Žalimienė, Chairman of the Council of the Lithuanian Bar Mindaugas Kukaitis, as well as scholars and leading human rights experts from many European countries.
Galyna Yurovska participated in the last panel on the correlation between constitutional law and convention law. During her speech, Galyna Yurovska delivered a presentation on the topic “Application of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case law of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine”.
In her report, she emphasised the importance of constitutional jurisdiction in protecting human rights and freedoms, especially in the context of martial law, noting that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine continues to perform its functions even during the war, in particular, ensuring the rights of citizens and protecting them from restrictions caused by martial law.
In the context of the topic presented, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Galyna Yurovska provided for the examples of cases that demonstrate the application by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in resolving issues related to the right to liberty and security of person, property rights, protection of social rights of citizens, as well as special protection of Ukrainian military personnel and veterans. In particular, it was noted that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine applies international instruments, such as the Convention, which helps to deliver decisions that are as close as possible to European standards.
Galyna Yurovska also expressed her gratitude to the Republic of Lithuania for its full-fledged support of Ukraine since the first days of the aggression, as well as for its unwavering solidarity in international organizations. She emphasised the significance of joint efforts of the Council of Europe countries to collect evidence and bring to justice those responsible for international crimes in Ukraine.
At the end of her speech, Galyna Yurovska stressed that Ukrainians are now defending not only their freedom, independence, and national identity, but also common European values with their lives on the frontlines.
Other topics of discussion included the role of the Council of Europe in the development of human rights, the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and other European standards in national legislation.
Such high-level events promote international cooperation and exchange of experience between human rights and judicial bodies, which is an important step towards deepening constitutional reforms and protecting human rights in Ukraine and other European countries.
The video recording of the presentation delivered by Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Galyna Yurovska is available at: https://cutt.ly/teFPYXQP.
