On 6 October 2023, in the framework of the Latvian presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Riga hosted the meeting of the Government Agents before the European Court of Human Rights (the ECHR) for the second time. This meeting marks a decade since the last meeting of the Government Agents took place in Riga. In total, there were more than 35 participants from 32 Member States of the Council of Europe.
The organisation of the meeting and its agenda are in line with the priority of the Latvian presidency – to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Europe, including by promoting the execution of ECHR judgments and enhancing the understanding of the values protected by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The meeting was organised by the Office of the Agent of Latvia before International Human Rights Institutions.
These meetings are a traditional way for the Government Agents to discuss developments in the case law of the ECHR, challenges encountered by the Government Agents when representing their Governments before the ECHR, and other pertinent issues. The restrictions imposed by States during the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the Government Agents from meeting annually; therefore, this meeting not only marks a decade since the last meeting took place in Riga, but also serves as a renewal of the tradition for the Government Agents to meet.
