The ECtHR has launched a new initiative that will invite the general public into its premises in Strasbourg on a series of open days. Scheduled to be held on the first Friday of each month, these open days are intended to familiarize visitors with the Court’s processes, its case-law, and the process of monitoring the execution of judgments. Registered visitors will have access to four exhibitions, visit the small and large hearing rooms and the Court’s library, and learn about the Court’s emblematic building.
The initiative was launched by the Court’s President Guyomar and Registrar Marialena Tsirli, together with the Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann, who stated that opening the Court’s doors to the public “reminds us that human rights, the rule of law and justice are not abstract principles, but values that concern us all.” This move appears to operationalize one of the three priorities outlined by President Guyomar in his foreword to the Court’s 2025 annual report, where he noted that the ECtHR “must reconcile three priorities, which are the foundational elements of its institutional legitimacy: efficiency, visibility and accountability.” Visibility, he stated there, means that “[i]n order to revitalise interest in human rights, the Court must not only open itself up but must also extend its activity beyond its walls”.
