On Monday 7th November 2022, on the initiative of the
Permanent Representation of Malta to the Council of Europe, the Ministry for
Foreign and European Affairs and Trade together with the Institute for European
Studies and the Department of European and Comparative Law within the Faculty
of Laws of the University of Malta held a debate on ‘The European Convention on
Human Rights: its Application, Successes, Challenges and Opportunities’, with
the support of the Għaqda
Studenti tal-Liġi (GħSL), the European Law Student Association (ELSA) and the
European Studies Organisation (ESO).
In their introductory speeches, the Permanent Representative of
Malta to the Council of Europe, H.E. Lorenzo Vella, and the Deputy Secretary
General of the Council of Europe, H.E. Bjørn Berge, underlined the important
role of the Council of Europe, in particular the significance of the European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Court of Human Rights
(ECtHR). Ambassador Lorenzo Vella also spoke about Malta’s forthcoming
Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers in May 2025 and the voluntary
financial contribution of €20,000 that will be made by Malta this year to the
Strasbourg Court towards addressing its backlog of cases.
Several high profile experts contributed to
the debate in two panels, including Chief Justice
Emeritus Dr Vincent A. De Gaetano (former Judge and Section President of the ECtHR),
the Hon. Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera (Judge of the Superior Courts of
Malta), the Hon. Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale (Judge of
the Superior Courts of Malta), the Hon. Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland (Judge of the ECtHR),
Dr Chrisopher Soler (Malta’s State Advocate and Government Agent to the ECtHR),
Ms Claire Ovey (Head of the Department of the Execution of Judgements of the ECtHR
at the Council of Europe) as well as Dr Francesca Camilleri Vettiger (Deputy
Permanent Representative of Malta to the Council of Europe). The first panel
focused on the impact of the Convention on the
protection and promotion of human rights in Europe and in Malta throughout the
years and the second panel centred on the current and future challenges and
opportunities to the effectiveness and integrity of the Convention system.
This event marked the 72nd anniversary of the adoption
of the ECHR and was organised in contribution to the visibility project of the
Council of Europe that is being led by the Deputy Secretary General.
In the margins of this
event, the Hon. Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Dr Ian
Borg, and also the Hon. Minister for Justice, Dr Jonathan Attard, welcomed the Deputy
Secretary General Berge for a bilateral meeting. Ambassador Lorenzo Vella accompanied the Hon.
Ministers in the two bilateral meetings which focused on the preparations for
the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the important role Malta plays
within the structures of the Council of Europe and the significant progress it
has registered in relation to human rights, democracy and the rule of law
following the numerous reforms undertaken in recent years.
