20 years of protecting fundemental rights

We invite you to a meeting organized on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union. Membership in the EU is not only about economic benefits or freedom of settlement and movement within the territory of member states, but also about strengthening our fundamental human and civil rights. Guarding these rights is the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as the European Court of Human Rights existing at the Council of Europe, together with the Venice Commission. We will talk about the functioning of these bodies, explain where the obligation to enforce the judgments made there comes from, and their impact on the lives of EU citizens. We will also talk about how the independence of the judiciary in a member state is related to respect for fundamental rights, and why and how the judgments of the CJEU are used in rebuilding the rule of law in Poland. We have prepared a panel of 4 distinguished guests to discuss this topic with: Dr. Hanna Machinska - Doctor of legal sciences at UW, long-time Director of the Council of Europe Office in Warsaw, Deputy Ombudsman from 2017 to 2022 Prof. Michał Romanowski - Professor of legal sciences at UW, lawyer, from 2006 to 2015 member of the Civil Law Codification Committee, arbitrator in Polish and international arbitration proceedings. Judge Igor Tuleya - Judge of the District Court in Warsaw, member of the Association of Polish Judges "Iustitia", winner of this year's Global Jurist of the Year award from the Center for International Human Rights (CIHR) Northwestern Pritzker School of Law for his commitment to human rights and the rule of law. Dr. Agnieszka Kubal - Associate Professor at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, specializing in research in political science, sociology, and legal systems. After the panel discussion, our guests will do a Q&A session with the audience. The meeting is open to all, but reserving your place via a free ticket will be required. NB: The event will be conducted in polish.