On Wednesday, 10 July, a bilateral meeting between Justices of the German Federal Constitutional Court and representatives of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic took place in Karlsruhe. Stephan Harbarth, President of the Federal Constitutional Court, and Doris König, Vice-President of the Federal Constitutional Court, acted as hosts, while other Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court also participated in the programme. The Czech delegation consisted of the President of the Constitutional Court, Josef Baxa, the Vice-Presidents of the Constitutional Court, Veronika Křesťanová and Kateřina Ronovská, and Justice of the Constitutional Court, Jan Wintr.

A day-long working meeting was divided into two sessions, with several topics on the agenda. The morning sessions was dedicated to access requirements for constitutional court proceedings and climate change. In the afternoon, the Justices discussed relationship between domestic fundamental rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, consistency of judicial decisions, binding nature of the court case law, and role and importance of separate opinions.

With the bilateral visit, the German and Czech bodies for protection of constitutionality continued their long-standing and fruitful cooperation. The geographical and historical proximity, the affinity of legal systems and the similarities in the system of protection of constitutionality naturally contribute to this fact. However, the cooperation is also strengthened by the common effort to find rights solutions to complex legal issues through the exchange of knowledge, perspectives and experience.  

Pavel Dvořák
Head of External Relations and Protocol Department

© Fotografie: Bundesverfassungsgericht │Franziska Kraufmann / Bundesfoto