Acceptance speech European Court for Human Rights

International Four Freedoms Award 2010

 

 

Middelburg, 28 May 2010

 

Speech by Mr Jean-Paul Costa,

President, European Court of Human Rights

 

 

Your Majesty,

Your Royal Highness,

Mr Prime Minister,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

It is only right that I begin my remarks today with words of gratitude for the Roosevelt Foundation. In conferring the International Four Freedoms Award for 2010 on the European Court of Human Rights, the Roosevelt Foundation has bestowed a high honour on the Court. In its name I thank you most sincerely. It is a privilege indeed to be associated with the memory and legacy of the great Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as of Eleanor Roosevelt, a key actor in the elaboration of one of the foundational texts of the modern age - the Universal Declaration of Human rights.

 

The legacy of President Roosevelt to humanity is an enduring and invaluable one – a courageous and steadfast commitment to the true freedom of the human person, living in a peaceful society that is fair, decent and inclusive. These cardinal values, articulated in the great upheavals of his time, were carried forward by European men and women of like mind and like determination who set out to re-make their world in the post-war years.

 

In keeping with its open, outward-looking tradition, The Netherlands was at the forefront of this. The landmark Hague Congress of 1948 federated those who wished for a new and progressive European polity. The Congress translated their vision into audacious proposals. These included a court that to act as a powerful guardian of the values upon which human civilisation rests. The first achievement of this movement was the Council of Europe, which came into being in 1949. And within this new body, the first major achievement was the European Convention on Human Rights, adopted 60 years ago. And so modern Europe’s trust in the rule of law, and its faith in the judicial process became reality.

 

As any human institution, the European Court of Human Rights has grown and developed over the 51 years of its existence. Each decade brought some measure of reform to Convention, extending it and improving it. This process continues – it is part of the life of a living institution.

 

The European context is a dynamic one. Our societies evolve, advance and diversify, and in so doing face new possibilities and challenges, new risks and uncertainties. Being directly open to individuals and civil society, the European Court has been confronted with many of the human rights questions of the present day. What is the meaning of human dignity in the 21^st century? How shall States balance national security and public safety against individual liberty? What recognition and what protection is due to the vulnerable, to the marginalised? These questions are always with us, and the answers given define the character of the societies in which we live.

 

The award bestowed on the Court today recognises all that has been achieved since its creation. It is a tribute to the very many women and men, from many walks of life and all corners of Europe who have contributed to its accomplishments. I will make special mention of the European Court’s first president René Cassin, a great figure in the history of human rights, and firm ally of Eleanor Roosevelt. And, in the presence of Her Majesty and so many leading figures of Dutch society, it is appropriate to pay tribute to the consistently distinguished representation of The Netherlands on the European Court of Human Rights, and this country’s unwavering support for the Strasbourg Court.

 

Europe’s observance of human rights defines who we are today, and will continue to define us in the future. I believe, and am confirmed in my belief by the Four Freedoms Award, that the European Convention on Human Rights will remain a strong pillar of European construction. The formal integration of the European Union into the Convention system will be an important mark of maturity for the process of European legal construction, ensuring that human rights safeguards extend to all areas of public life. It is a development to be fully supported and swiftly realised.

 

Your Majesty

Your Royal Highness

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Let me once again express my gratitude on receiving this award, let me congratulate the other distinguished laureates, and thank you for your attention today.