6 November 2026 - Organised by the Office of the Representative of the Republic of Croatia before the European Court of Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, a conference marking the 30th anniversary of Croatia's membership in the Council of Europe and its signing of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was held at the Mimara Museum yesterday.
The conference opened with welcoming addresses by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, and President of the European Court of Human Rights Mattias Guyomar. It brought together senior judicial and government officials from Croatia, as well as representatives of the European Court of Human Rights. Discussions focused on the impact of the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments on Croatia’s legal and institutional transformation, progress in adopting European human rights standards, and the key achievements and challenges in implementing the Convention.
In his presentation on the impact of the Convention on Croatian constitutional judiciary, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, Professor Frane Staničić, emphasised the important role of the Constitutional Court in incorporating the standards of the European Court of Human Rights into the Croatian legal system and ensuring their application in the day-to-day judicial protection of human rights. "The Constitutional Court consistently reiterates that no provision of domestic law may be interpreted or applied in a manner that would be incompatible with the obligations arising from the Constitution and the European Convention", President Staničić noted. He also pointed out that the responsibility for protecting human rights does not rest solely with the Constitutional Court, but with all state authorities, which are required, within their respective competences, to ensure compliance with constitutional and Convention standards.
