Newsletter N .8 | October 2021
Dear Project Partners, dear Fellows,
In this issue of the FRICoRe Newsletter, we will offer an overview of the Cross-Sector Issues held in Coimbra, Portugal, on 30 September and 1 October 2021.
The workshop “Fundamental Rights and Effective Judicial Protection across Sectors. Uniformituy or Diversity?” took place in the hybrid mode, simultaneously online and on-site in Coimbra, Portugal, and closed the cycle characterized by the previous 5 sectoral transnational training events.
The training event was in fact characterized by an intersectoral approach aimed at identified similarities and specificities when applying the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and EU general principles in each of the project areas dealt with in previous Transnational Training Workshops (consumer protection, data protection, asylum and immigration, non-discrimination, health and fundamental rights). In doing so, three specific horizontal topics will be examined: (1) ex officio powers and duties of cooperation, (2) sanctions and remedies (3) collective redress.
Each one of the horizontal subjects was analysed in one of the three workshop sessions. In turn, each session was characterized by the succession of a roundtable and a practical session aimed at discussing hypothetical cases.
The first day was dedicated to the ex officio powers and the duty of cooperation. In particular, the main topic was explored during the afternoon session, both in the context of a specific roundtable and of an interactive session.
The keynote speech given by Justice Ana Maria Guerra Martins (European Court of Human Rights) and followed by the discussion with the audience introduced by Prof. Paulo Mota Pinto (former Judge at the Constitutional Court, Portugal) took place during the morning session. Both speakers took part remotely.
The training materials and the structure and purposes of the workshop were also presented during the morning session.
The first session of the programme involved four judges from different EU legal systems. Their speeches provided the perspective of their respective Countries around the topic “Access to Justice and the Role of Courts between the Duty of Cooperation and Ex Officio Powers”. One out of four speakers intervened remotely, i.e. judge Cristina Correale (Tribunal of Naples, Italy), whereas the other three, Benedita Urbano (Administrative Supreme Court, Portugal), Diana Ungureanu (Court of Appeal of Pitesti, Romania), Mirosław Gdesz (Regional Administrative Court in Warsaw, Poland) presented onsite from the workshop venue. The roundtable was chaired by Prof. Aurelia Colombi Ciacchi (UG). The four presentations were followed by the discussion from the audience.
Following the topic analysis, the method applicable to the discussion of hypothetical cases on the same subject by working groups was presented. By virtue of the hybrid mode of participation, the trainees were assigned to two onsite groups at the workshop venue and to a third virtual group organized on Zoom. The discussion in each working group was led by a team of trainers made up of members from the partner institutions.
On the second day, the morning session was focus on “Effective, Proportionate, Dissuasive Sanctions and remedies across Different Areas of EU Law” thanks to the contribution of four judges from different EU Countries. The roundtable, chaired by Prof. Paola Iamiceli (UNITN), saw the participation of judges Roman Wiatrowski (Supreme Administrative Court, Poland), Maria Perquilhas (Court of Appeal of Lisbon, Portugal), Amelia Onisor (Court of Appeal of Bucharest, Romania), Tina Jakupak (Commercial Court in Zagreb, Croatia). The former participated via Zoom, the others from the workshop venue. The four presentations were followed by the discussion from the audience.
Also, the morning session hosted the keynote speech from Prof. Angela Ward (Legal Secretary of AG Evgeni Tanchev, CJEU). The subsequent discussion was introduced by Prof. Fabrizio Cafaggi (Council of State, Italy).
As on the first day, the subject of the second session was explored further in the context of the interactive sessions held onsite (two groups) and remotely (one group).
The third and last session analysed the topic “Access to Justice and Collective Redress”. The roundtable focused on the session topic was chaired by Dr. Mateusz Grochowski (INP-PAN) and involved judge Magdalena El-Hagin (Regional Court in Gdansk, Poland) onsite, as well as judge Suzana Tavares da Silva (Supreme Administrative Court, Portugal) and Dr. Federica Casarosa (European University Institute, Italy) connected via Zoom. The four presentations were followed by the discussion from the audience.
The topic was also discussed by the three working groups engaged in the resolution, in the light of their respective experiences and case law, of practical cases submitted to them before the workshop.
The FRICoRe project is thankful to all those who contributed to the success of its first hybrid event, from the organizing partner to all the other teams, the speakers and all participants present on-site or connected remotely.
