Kutse

STARPTAUTISKĀ KONFERENCE

EIROPAS SAVIENĪBAS VĒRTĪBAS – KATRA NACIONĀLĀ TIESNEŠA ATBILDĪBA

23 | 05 | 2024 RĪGA

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY NATIONAL JUDGE

VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY NATIONAL JUDGE The international conference organized by the Supreme Court of Latvia in connection with the 20th anniversary of Latvia’s accession to the European Union May 22-23, 2024 Riga, Latvia

20 years ago, Latvia joined Europe’s strongest family of democratic countries  – the European Union. This also implied inclusion in the single European legal space and responsibility for its further maintenance and development. Along with Latvia, nine more countries joined the European Union in 2004. Within these 20 years, the Supreme Courts of these countries, like the Supreme Court of Latvia, have become beacons of their national legal systems in the vastness of European legal space. During these years, in the process of development of European Union law, the dialogue of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Supreme Courts of the Member States has been essential, as it has allowed Europe to be united in a single community of values, rights and economics. Moreover, during these years, we have shared various challenges, the successful overcoming of which required a broader perspective – European Union law – and awareness of our responsibility not only for the application of national law, but also of European Union law.

The conference is devoted to the 20th anniversary of Latvia’s accession to the European Union. The invited participants are senators of the Supreme Court of Latvia, presidents of all Latvian courts, and Supreme Court judges of the nine countries that joined the European Union along with Latvia, as well the judges of these countries who work or had worked in the Court of Justice of the European Union. Also, Latvian judges who currently work and who had worked at the CJEU and the General Court are invited.

As a symbolic support, representatives of the Supreme Courts of the candidate countries for joining the EU (Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia) are also invited to participate in the conference.

The conference is dedicated to a judge, namely to a national judge, who is also a European judge, and whose responsibility is the skilful implementation of European Union law and, therefore, the very idea of a united Europe. The conference shall analyze how membership in the European Union has altered the work of a judge in a national legal system, and whether within these 20 years every national judge has become a European judge who thus applies European Union law and protects the fundamental values of the European Union.

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Wednesday, May 22

16:30 Guided tour at the Supreme Court of Latvia (exact time tbc)

19:00 Dinner

Thursday, May 23

9:00 – 9:30 Registration, coffee

I. OPENING ADDRESSES

9:30 – 9:40 Mr. Aigars Strupišs, President of the Supreme Court of Latvia

9:40 – 9:50 Mr. Edgars Rinkevičs, President of Latvia

9:50 – 10:00 Mr. Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union

10:00 – 10:10 Mr. Anders Eka, President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the EU (tbc)

II. EU VALUES AND AN EU JUDGE Moderator tbc

10:10 – 10:30 Challenges faced by national courts, when a country joins the European Union Ms. Ingrīda LABUCKA, former Minister of Justice of Latvia, first Latvian judge at the General Court

10:30 – 10:50 The European judge as an enforcer of EU common values Ms. Ineta Ziemele, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, former President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia

10:50 – 11:10 The principle of judicial independence within the functioning of European Union law Mr. Aigars STRUPIŠS, President of the Supreme Court of Latvia

11:10 – 11:30

Transformations of the understanding of gender equality in the European Union in the last 20 years Ms. Sanita OSIPOVA, Senator of the Department of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of Latvia

III. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NATIONAL IDENTITY Moderated by Mr. Jānis PLEPS, Senator of the Department of Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of Latvia

11:30 – 11:50 The search of equilibrium between the unity and national identity in the case-law of the CJEU Mr. Irmantas JARUKAITIS, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union

11:50 – 12:05 Ms. Sandra KAIJA, Senator of the Department of Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of Latvia (topic tbc)

12:05 – 12:20 Judge of the Superior Courts of Malta (tbc)

12:20 – 12:35 Judge of the Supreme Court of Slovakia (tbc)

12:35 – 12:50 Discussion

STARPTAUTISKĀ KONFERENCE

EIROPAS SAVIENĪBAS VĒRTĪBAS – KATRA NACIONĀLĀ TIESNEŠA ATBILDĪBA

23 | 05 | 2024 RĪGA

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY NATIONAL JUDGE

Draft programme

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STARPTAUTISKĀ KONFERENCE

EIROPAS SAVIENĪBAS VĒRTĪBAS – KATRA NACIONĀLĀ TIESNEŠA ATBILDĪBA

23 | 05 | 2024 RĪGA

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY NATIONAL JUDGE

LUNCH

12:50 – 14:00 Lunch

IV. EUROPEAN UNION LAW IN DAILY WORK OF A JUDGE Moderator tbc

14:00 – 14:20 Speaker tbc

14:20 – 14:35

Questions for a preliminary reference submitted to the Court of Justice of the European Union – is it judge’s ignorance or duty? Ms. Anita KOVAĻEVSKA, Senator of the Department of Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of Latvia

14:35 – 14:50 Judge of the Supreme Court of Estonia (tbc)

14:50 – 15:05 Judge of the Supreme Court of Slovenia (tbc)

15:05 – 15:20 Discussion

V. CONCLUSION OF THE CONFERENCE

15:20 – 15:40 Summary Ms. Ineta ZIEMELE, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union

15:40 – 15:50 Concluding remarks Mr. Aigars STRUPIŠS, President of the Supreme Court of Latvia

VI. DISCUSSIONS

15:50 – 16:30 Refreshments

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Riga

02.02.2024. Nr. 10-1/7-158nos

Mr. Villu Kõve Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia

17 Lossi St, 50093 Tartu, Estonia

Dear Chief Justice,

The Supreme Court of Latvia is organizing an international conference titled "Values of the European Union – the responsibility of every national judge" in connection with the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to the European Union. The conference will take place on May 22-23 in Riga.

Along with Latvia, nine other countries joined the European Union, including Estonia. Therefore, it is my pleasure to invite you, Dear Colleague, and one more judge of the Supreme Court of Estonia to participate in the conference.

We would be honoured if you or your colleague would be willing to give a 15-minute presentation at the conference’s section "European Union law in daily work of a judge" from the perspective of a national court. It would be appreciated if your topic was related to the methods of application of EU law or to the use of sources of EU law, or to EU judicial networks and tools, namely how they support and facilitate the work of a national judge. However, you are welcome to choose any other topic that seems most relevant to you.

Please kindly see attached the conference description and draft programme. What regards the organizational matters, the Supreme Court of Latvia will cover

accommodation expenses (1 night) for conference participants, as well as travel expenses for a speaker at the conference.

We would greatly appreciate, if you could inform us about your decision of participation of representatives of your Court, names of participants and the chosen topic at your earliest convenience, and if possible, by February 23. Yours faithfully, President Aigars Strupišs

Jaudzema, +371 67020396 [email protected]