Official representatives and delegations from constitutional courts in 31 countries will discuss constitutional justice on October 15 in Sofia
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria is organizing an international conference to mark the 35th anniversary of its establishment. The closing forum, part of a series of events through which the institution is commemorating the development of constitutional justice in Bulgaria, will take place on October 15 at the Central Military Club in Sofia.
Official representatives and delegations from constitutional courts in 31 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa are arriving in Bulgaria to participate in discussions on “The Role of Constitutional Courts in Guaranteeing the Rule of Law”. They will discuss current issues related to the composition and independence of constitutional courts, the enforcement of their decisions by other state bodies, and the practice of constitutional courts in times of crisis.
The conference will be opened by Pavlina Panova, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria. Official greetings from Sofia will also be delivered by Eirik Holmøyvik, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Alexander Kornezov, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Mariyana Kancheva, Judge of the General Court of the European Union and Diana Kovatcheva, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights.
Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights , will deliver their greetings to the forum via video messages.
The conference will continue with three working panels led by constitutional judges Yanaki Stoilov, Galina Toneva, and Nevin Feti.
The event will be attended by over 50 official representatives and delegates from Austria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Algeria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, the Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary, Finland and Montenegro.
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria was established by the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, adopted by the Grand National Assembly on July 12, 1991. On July 30 of the same year, the Law on the Constitutional Court was adopted, which entered into force on August 20, 1991. On October 3, 1991, the constitutional judges of the Court’s first panel took the oath of office and assumed their duties.
Media representatives wishing to cover the forum may submit registration requests to the institution’s press office by October 9 (inclusive) at [email protected].
PROGRAMME
International Conference on the Occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria
"The Role of Constitutional Courts in Guaranteeing the Rule of Law"
15 October 2026 (Thursday)
Conference venue: Central Military Club Building
9:30 - 10:00 Registration of participants
10:00 - 11:00 Opening of the Conference
Introductory speeches:
- Ms Pavlina Panova, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria
- Mr Eirik Holmøyvik, Vice-President of the Venice Commission
- Mr Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union
(video message)
- Mr Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights
(video message)
- Mr Alexander Kornezov, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union
- Ms Mariyana Kancheva, Judge of the General Court of the European Union
- Ms Diana Kovatcheva, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights
11:00-11:15 Coffee Break
Panel 1 Composition and Independence of Constitutional Courts
Moderator: Mr Yanaki Stoilov, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria
11:15 – 11:45 (10 minutes per speaker)
- Ms Yvonne Ott, Judge of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
- Ms Elena-Simina Tănăsescu, President of the Constitutional Court of Romania
- Mr Danny Pieters, Judge (NL) of the Constitutional Court of Belgium
11:45 – 12:05 Plenary discussion (20 minutes)
12:05-12:20 Coffee Break
Panel 2 Respect for and Compliance with the Decisions of the Constitutional Court
Moderator: Ms Galina Toneva, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria
12:20-13:00 (10 minutes per speaker)
- Ms Emanuela Navarretta, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic
- Mr Genti Ibrahimi, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Albania
- Mr Miloš Maďar, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic
- Mr Ronald Faber, Substitute member of the Constitutional Court of Austria, Judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of Austria
13:00 – 13:20 Plenary discussion (20 minutes)
13:20 – 13:30 Family photo
13:30 – 14:55 Lunch
Panel 3 Case Law of Constitutional Courts in Crisis Situations
Moderator: Ms Nevin Feti, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria
15:00-15:40 (10 minutes per speaker)
- Ms Snežana Armenko, President of the Constitutional Court of Montenegro
- Mr Tomas Davulis, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania
- Ms Katja Šugman Stubbs, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia
- Mr András Patyi, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Hungary
15:40 – 16:00 Plenary discussion (20 minutes)
16:00 – 16:10 Closing Remarks
Ms Pavlina Panova, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria
