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Marta Cartabia
Courts in Europe cooperate with each other in order to better fulfill their tasks and are in fact often explicitly required to do so by law. This also holds true for courts with constitutional functions that carry a special responsibility for European legal development.
The intensity of this cooperation is reflected by the European constitutional court network, which not only contributes to European unity, but also helps safeguard democracy and the rule of law at a time when fundamental constitutional decisions are being called into question in some parts of Europe.
This situation raises novel questions, which the European Constitutional Forum, formerly known as the “Heidelberger Gesprächskreis,” aims to address. The Forum was founded by Armin von Bogdandy, Christoph Grabenwarter, Peter M. Huber, and Andreas Voßkuhle in 2016 and originally took place in German. Since 2024, Armin von Bogdandy has continued the format in collaboration with Marta Cartabia of Bocconi University in Milan under the name “European Constitutional Forum.” Its annual meetings give judges and scholars from all over Europe an opportunity to discuss constitutional matters in a confidential setting.
The Forum has dealt with topics such as “Constitutional Courts and the Media,” “The Appointment of Judges,” “Mutual Trust in the European Legal Space,” “Tools to Confront the European Rule of Law Crisis,” as well as topics on the culture and form of judicial dialogue in the European legal space.
Through the choice of its topics and its design, the Forum facilitates and stimulates an exchange that contributes to a better mutual understanding of the different legal systems, including their judicial practice. The experience the courts have gained throughout their long or short, and often turbulent, histories are a precious resource. To make even better use of it, such experiences should be shared, explained and questioned, as well as examined by scholars.
The Forum also aims to foster exchange about common challenges and possible solutions, alongside raising awareness of the threats to the effectiveness and independence of constitutional adjudication.
The most recent Forum took place on 23rd and 24th May, 2025.
