Ministry of Justice

The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, opened today in Madrid the conference commemorating the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), organized by the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (CEPC). Also participating at the event was the President of the Council of State, Carmen Calvo, and the Director of the CEPC, Rosario García Mahamut, as well as the former President of the European Court of Human Rights, Guido Raimondi, together with representatives from the academic and legal fields.

During his talk, the Minister valued the contribution of the ECHR to strengthen European democratic systems and underlined the role of Spain as a country firmly committed to multilateralism and the defence of the Rule of Law. Likewise, he highlighted the importance of the European openness of the Spanish constitutional system, which decisively included international protection of fundamental rights following the ratification of the Convention in 1979.

The Minister referred to Article 10.2 in the Spanish Constitution which includes the international treaties ratified by Spain for the interpretation of fundamental rights, which has allowed the Constitutional Court to increasingly resort to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. This openness, he pointed out, has turned the Spanish system into a cosmopolitan and plural one, enriched by the various European and international legal traditions.

For example, he mentioned the direct impact of the European Court of Human Rights doctrine on recent rulings by the Constitutional Court, among them Judgment 26/2025, which endorses the measures to limit rent contemplated in the Law for the right to housing.

Bolaños defended the role of Spain as a bastion of the defence of multilateralism against discourses that seek to weaken international institutions for the protection of human rights. In this context, he noted the recent advances promoted by the Government, such as ratification of Protocol 16 of the ECHR, which will allow Spanish courts to request advisory opinions from the European Court of Human Rights, as well implementation of the 2nd Plan for Human Rights (2023-2027), which includes more than 400 measures aimed at reinforcing equality, freedom and social justice.

The commemorative session includes conferences and roundtables throughout the day with the participation of scholars, senior judges from the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, judges from the European Court of Human Rights and representatives of the Council of State. The discussions shall address the historical impact of the Convention, its application in the Spanish legal system and the consideration of the European Court’s jurisprudence in national courts. 

The Minister closed his talk by appealing to the defence of constitutional patriotism, a civic commitment based on respect for human dignity, fundamental rights, pluralism and the Rule of Law, the pillars which shall continue guiding the democratic actions of Spain in Europe.