Universidade Católica Portuguesa marked the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union with the conference ‘Celebrating Human Rights in Europe’, held at its headquarters in Lisbon and in Porto over two days.
Promoted by the Universidade Católica's Faculty of Law, this commemorative conference reflected on the main contributions to the protection of human rights in Europe and discussed the challenges in this area, addressing issues such as the law of war, cultural identity, the rule of law, judicial dialogue, climate change and technological developments.
"This conference is a unique opportunity for a broad debate, bringing together other national and European law faculties and involving European institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union, and national institutions such as the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman and the National Institute of Administration," said the director of the Faculty of Law, José Lobo Moutinho, in his opening speech at the event.
In fact, the session of the Faculty of Law - Porto School, whose theme was ‘Achievements and Contributions’, featured the Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, Arnfinn Bårdsen, as the keynote speaker. ‘United Around Our Values: Stability Through Democracy, the Rule of Law and the Protection of Human Rights’ was the theme of his speech.
Among the participants was also the President of the Constitutional Court, José João Abrantes, who moderated the panel ‘Defining the “We”: Perceptions of Cultural Identity’.
At the Lisbon School, whose session was themed “Challenges and Expectations”, the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Koen Lenaerts, gave a lecture on the topic: “Ordering Pluralism: The National Judge, the Constitution, the Charter and the ECHR”.
The Portuguese judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Nuno Piçarra, moderated a panel on the theme ‘Judicial Dialogue and Cross-Fertilisation’.
Speakers on the various panels also included professors from the Universidade Católica, in particular from the Porto Law School, the Lisbon Law School and the Católica Global School of Law, as well as lecturers from other national and foreign higher education institutions.
The conference was closed by the Rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. “Celebrating human rights does not mean resting on past achievements, but rather recognising the progress that has been made and, at the same time, the obligations that still remain. Europe has built one of the most robust human rights protection systems in the world, but this system depends on constant vigilance and renewal," emphasised Isabel Capeloa Gil.
