On Wednesday evening in September, the Young Friends of ERA hosted the second event in their EU Law Sessions series, held online and open to all members of the Association across Europe.
Judge Dr. Mykola Gnatovskyy joined as keynote speaker for a timely and thought-provoking discussion on transferring prisoners to other Member States’ facilities as a solution to overcrowding, with key insights from the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Moderated by Filipa Samões Azevedo and Mathilde Valet, both members of the Young Friends of ERA, the session explored how rights protected under Article 8 ECHR—particularly the right to private and family life—remain relevant even within prison walls.
Drawing on his extensive experience with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), Judge Gnatovskyy highlighted that detention facilities must not be seen as places where rights are suspended. Rather, they are environments where the commitment to human dignity and the rule of law faces its greatest challenges. He also addressed the role of bilateral agreements in safeguarding detainees’ rights—an often overlooked but essential aspect of international cooperation.
We thank Filipa and Mathilde for initiating and shaping the debate, and Judge Dr. Julia Laffranque for her valuable contribution from the audience. Her remarks on the Estonia-Sweden agreement added a rich national perspective and deepened the discussion.
We warmly invite other young legal professionals to join future sessions, designed to bring our community together around fundamental and timely questions of European law, guided by distinguished voices in the field.
Stay tuned for the next EU Law Session. If you would like to host or pitch a topic, the floor is open.
