Presidency of the Court
President Síofra O’Leary
Síofra O’Leary was born on 20 September 1968, in Dublin, Ireland.
- Bachelor of Civil Law, University College Dublin, Ireland, 1986-1989
- PhD, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, 1989-1993
- Visiting Fellow and Research Associate, Department of Public International Law, University of Cádiz, Spain, and Institute for Public Policy Research, London, United Kingdom, 1994-1996
- Assistant Director of the Centre for European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1995-1996
- Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1995-1996
- Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Law, University College Dublin, Ireland, 1999-2004
- Référendaire, Chef de Cabinet and Head of Unit, Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg, 1996-2015
- Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, since 2003
- Member of the Editorial Board of the Common Market Law Review, 2012-2015
- Member of the Advisory Boards of the Common Market Law Review and the Irish Centre for European Law
- Honorary Bencher of the Honorable Society of the King’s Inns, Ireland
- Judge of the European Court of Human Rights since 2 July 2015
- President of Section from 1 January 2020 to 31 October 2022
- Vice-President of the Court from 2 January 2022 to 31 October 2022
- President of the Court since 1 November 2022.
The plenary Court elects its President for a period of 3 years.
The President directs the work and administration of the Court. They represent the Court and, in particular, are responsible for its relations with the authorities of the Council of Europe. The President presides at plenary meetings of the Court, meetings of the Grand Chamber and meetings of the panel of 5 judges.
Official visits
-
Visit by the Minister of Equality between Women and Men of Luxembourg
25/05/2023
On 24 May 2023 Taina Bofferding, Minister of Equality between Women and Men of Luxembourg, visited the Court and was received by Judge Lado Chanturia, Section Vice-President. Victor Soloveytchik, Section Registrar, also attended the meeting.
... -
Visit by the Public Defender of Georgia
23/05/2023
On 23 May 2023 Levan Ioseliani, Public Defender of Georgia, visited the Court and was received by Vice-President Marko Bošnjak. Victor Soloveytchik, Section Registrar, also attended the meeting.
... -
Visit by a delegation of the Supreme Court of Norway
22/05/2023
On 22 May 2023 a delegation from the Supreme Court of Norway, headed by Chief Justice Toril Marie Øie, paid a working visit to the Court and was received by President Síofra O’Leary. During the visit the delegation took part in roundtable discussions with judges of the Court and members of the Registry.
...
Visit by the President of Iceland
Speeches by the President
-
Annual Forum of the Superior Courts Network (SCN)
09/06/2023
President Síofra O’Leary delivered the opening speech at the Annual Forum of the Superior Courts Network (SCN) in the Human Rights Building, in Strasbourg, on 8 June 2023.
Speech by President Síofra O’Leary (in French only)
... -
4th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe
17/05/2023President Síofra O’Leary delivered a speech on the occasion of the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe held in Reykjavik from 16 to 17 May 2023.
... -
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Second part of the 2023 Ordinary Session
25/04/2023On 25 April 2023 President Síofra O’Leary delivered a speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a current affairs debate on the fourth Council of Europe Summit (Reykjavik, 16-17 May 2023) held in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. She was accompanied by Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court.
...
Gender Equality Forum - Belgrade
Former Presidents
Since 1959, 15 judges served as President of the European Court of Human Rights. The President is elected for a three year term by the plenary Court, composed of 46 national judges.