Today, on 6 March, a bilateral meeting is being held between the Constitutional Court of Latvia and the Italian Constitutional Court, one of the largest and most internationally active institutions of constitutional review in Europe. During the meeting, the judges discuss the impact of international law and the geopolitical context on constitutional disputes, the protection of the human rights of future generations, effective national legal remedies, as well as the compliance of confiscatory measures with the guarantees of fundamental rights.
The bilateral meeting was opened by Giovanni Amoroso, President of the Italian Constitutional Court, and Irēna Kucina, President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, underscoring the strategic importance of cooperation between constitutional courts. The courts no longer limit themselves to isolated interpretation of the national constitutional law; instead, international dialogue strengthens the shared commitments of courts to safeguard peace, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Law no longer develops solely within the borders of nation states; it evolves through cooperation among courts, legal systems, and constitutional traditions.
Geopolitical tensions in Europe and beyond also cause legal consequences, influencing the actions taken by states, the understanding of international commitments and the way, in which constitutional courts review the limits of discretion granted to state authorities. Measures introduced by states in the name of national security or the resilience of democracy increasingly appear on the agenda of constitutional review and are becoming more complicated. In this context, international judicial dialogue makes it possible to draw on the experience of foreign colleagues and to anticipate potential threats, ensuring that court’s response to new challenges would be simultaneously effective, lawful, and sustainable.
The Constitutional Court of Latvia’s active cooperation at the international level with courts and other institutions is essential not only for the development of Latvian constitutional law but also for strengthening Latvia’s position in the European legal area.