Announcement of a selection procedure for a Bulgarian judge at the European Court of Human Rights
24 April 2023 News
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is an international court based in Strasbourg, France, whose jurisdiction extends to all member states of the Council of Europe that have ratified the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (‘the Convention’), in force for Bulgaria since 1992. The number of judges of the ECtHR is the same as that of the States Parties to the Convention. Judges are elected for a term of nine years and may not be re-elected.
In connection with the expiry of the term of office of the Bulgarian judge, Mr. Yonko Grozev, on 12 April 2024, the Ministry of Justice re-announces the election procedure for a new Bulgarian judge at the ECtHR.
The election procedure for a new judge at the ECtHR includes the following main stages:
1/ publication of a election notice;
2/ submission of the application and the applicants' documents;
3/ admission on the basis of the applicants' documents;
4/ a written test in English and French to certify the level of proficiency in the foreign language concerned for those applicants who have not certified their proficiency by means of documents;
5/ a public interview, including in English and French, with the applicants who have passed the written test in the foreign language and with those who have been exempted from taking it;
6/ evaluation, ranking and announcement of the applicants short-listed by the Commission in alphabetical order on a reserve list;
7/ adoption of a decision by the Council of Ministers approving the national applicants on the main and reserve lists.
The requirements to be met by the applicants and the documents to be submitted are set out in the attached Order No ... of ... of the Minister for Justice. The Order complies with the Recommendations, Resolutions and Guidelines of the Council of Europe, as well as the reports of the Advisory Group of Experts on the Election of Judges to the ECtHR.
Applicants must submit their application and the documents required for participation in the selection procedure by 17.00 on 29 May 2023 at the Administrative Service Centre of the Ministry of Justice, Sofia, 1 Slavyanska Street or by e-mail to: [email protected].
The names of the applicants shortlisted by the Election Committee will be published on the official website of the Ministry of Justice.
The lists of shortlisted applicants shall be agreed in accordance with Article 32 of the Rules of Procedure of the Council of Ministers and its Administration and approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers.
The names of the shortlisted applicants and their curricula vitae shall be forwarded to the Advisory Group of Experts on the Election of Judges to the ECtHR. The Advisory Group was established by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 10 November 2010 (Resolution CM/Res(2010)26) to advise the States Parties to the European Convention on Human Rights on and whether applicants for appointment as judges of the ECtHR meet the conditions set out in Article 21(1) of the Convention. Under the terms of Article 5(1) of the above-mentioned resolution, before submitting a list of applicants to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), States Parties must forward the names and curricula vitae of the applicants to the Advisory Group for its opinion. The judges are selected by the PACE from a list of three applicants proposed by each State.