European Court of Justice

The seat of the European Court of Justice is the Allée des Droits de l'Homme in Strasbourg, France.

History

The founding idea of the European Court of Human Rights is quickly explained: the ECtHR was established in 1959 by representatives of the member states of the Council of Europe. The aim was to ensure compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, which was signed by all member states of the EU in 1950. Since 1998, the judges at the European Court of Human Rights have been hearing cases on behalf of EU citizens on a daily basis, as residents of an EU member state can appeal directly to the ECtHR with complaints after going through all the domestic instances.
The court building in Strasbourg was designed, built and officially opened in 1994 by the British architect Lord Richard Rogers. Today, the many staff members on the premises of the European Court of Human Rights monitor the observance of human rights in the European Union.

Tasks

The European Court of Human Rights issues important judgments on complaints submitted by EU citizens, groups of people and states that relate to a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and have passed unsuccessfully through the national instances of the home country. Thus, the staff of the ECtHR is responsible for concerns of about 800 million people, of the 47 EU Member States. If a judge at the ECtHR passes a judgement, this is considered to be a landmark judgement and is binding for the EU Member States. In the past, this has already had positive effects in the individual countries, as they have had to rethink their laws and administrative practices in some areas. The case law of the Court of Justice is a very important instrument of the European Union for the protection and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law in Europe.

Visit

Would you like to visit the European Court of Human Rights during your holiday in Strasbourg? A visit will give you the opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn more about the workings of the judicial institution. Strasbourg is also home to the administrative headquarters of the European Parliament. Exciting new exhibitions about the European Union are held here regularly - so it's worth a visit! You too can become an expert on Europe!