On March 2, 2017 the regular working meeting of the presidents of the constitutional courts – members of the Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Regions (BBCJ) chaired by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine this year, was held in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Yurii Baulin, President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia Zaza Tavadze, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania Dainius Žalimas, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova Alexandru Tănase.
During the meeting the issues of the preparation of the General Assembly and the Second Congress of the Association, specifying their agenda, the place and time of their holding as well as the enlargement of the Association were discussed.
Among the issues, considered during the meeting, the most urgent is still independence of the constitutional courts, harmonization of norms and principles of international law and national legislation, implementation of the experience of the European colleagues and legal acts of the European Court of Human Rights in judgments of the bodies of constitutional jurisdiction of the countries participants of the Association.
The Second Congress of the Association is to be held on May 31 – June 3, 2017 in Kharkiv. The Congress will be dedicated to: “The role of constitutional courts in the developing the provisions of national constitutions in the context of the generally recognised principles and norms of international law, EU law, judgments of international courts”.
Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Regions is a successful platform for developing joint projects and is important for countries participants as well as for other institutions of constitutional jurisdiction in the Baltic and Black Sea regions.
Note. The beginning of the Association’s activities was the signing of the Declaration on its establishment by the presidents of the Constitutional Courts of Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania and Moldova on October 2015 in Vilnius. According to this document, the member-courts recognise the need to strengthen the independence of constitutional courts as the main factor in guaranteeing the supremacy of Constitution, democracy and the rule of law. According to the decision of the General Assembly of the Association, from January 1, 2017 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine holds the presidency in the Association.