The visibility of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg has considerably increased in the past years.

With the growing numbers of applications lodged before the Court, the Court is becoming ever stricter concerning the fulfilment of the admissibility criteria. It is therefore indispensable for a defence lawyer to respect them.

In the framework of this seminar, the different elements of the procedure will be explained by a practitioner who has represented applicants before the ECtHR.

The following questions will be addressed:

- What national remedies must be sought before submitting an application to the Court in Strasbourg?
- What documents have to be submitted?
- What is the objective of the written and the oral parts of the proceedings?
- How are judgments enforced?

A lawyer of the Registry will respond to frequently asked questions.

A government agent will complement the perspective from the point of view of the respondent government.

Complementing the presentations on the procedure a judge of the Court will share some reflections on trends in the current jurisprudence of the Court.

A key element of the seminar is a visit to a hearing of a case before the Court.

E-learning: Participants without any prior knowledge on the procedure before the Court will have the possibility to prepare themselves using an e-learning module.