April 20, 2026
What began as an open letter in May 2025 has evolved into an increasingly articulate call by a broad group of European leaders to revisit and reform the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in relation to migration. This initiative has set in motion a reform process leading up to the May 2026 Chişinău meeting of the Committee of Ministers, where a political declaration is expected to outline possible directions for substantive changes to the Convention system.
In response, The Human Rights Law Research Group at the KU Leuven Centre for Public Law – one of the research centres affiliated with Strasbourg Observers – is organising a conference to foster critical academic engagement with these criticisms, the ongoing reform process, and its potential outcomes.
Date Conference: 22 May 2026 (9:00-17:30)
Location: De Valk College, KU Leuven (Belgium)
Registration link: https://www.law.kuleuven.be/apps/activiteiten/calendar/revisiting-the-echr-a-closer-look-at-calls-for-change-6669
Introduction on the Chişinǎu process by Prof. Paul Lemmens (KU Leuven)
Keynote delivered by Prof. Başak Çali (Oxford University)
Moderated by T. Lesseliers, with presentations from
Prof. R. Pierik (Maastricht University): Should the ECtHR change its course? A legal-philosophical perspective
Prof. A. Donald (Middlesex University) and Prof. A. Forde (Dublin City University): The Chișinău Process – How Political Declarations Shape the European Convention on Human Rights
Dr. D. Burchardt (WZB Berlin Social Science Center): Change as product of negotiated authority at the ECtHR
Dr. A. Zysset (University of Glasgow): ‘Political Process Theory’ in Strasbourg? Assessing the Merits and Limits of the ECtHR’s ‘Democratic Society’
Dr. S. Lambrecht (Magistrate at the Belgian Constitutional Court): Undue Political Pressure is Not Dialogue
Moderated by E. Sevrin, with presentations from
C. Vanspauwen (LL.M. Central European University): Strasbourg’s Pluralist Turn: The European Court of Human Rights’ Attempt at Reconciling Constitutional and Conventional Supremacy
Dr. L. Glas and Prof. J. Krommendijk (Radboud University): The EC(t)HR in the Dutch Political Landscape: Foe, Friend or Frenemy?
Dr. L. Graham (University of Manchester): The necessity of reforming Articles 3 and 8 ECHR: evidence from UK courts
S. Treacy (University of Oxford): Strasbourg as an enhancer of Democratic Legitimacy: The Irish Experience
Moderated by Prof. Thomas Spijkerboer, with presentations from
Prof. L. Acconciamessa (University of Palermo): International (Substantive) Legal Constraints on States’ Power to Reform the ECHR (and its Interpretation) in Migration Issues
J. Kiessling (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg): All’s well that ends well? – Why “proceduralisation” rings hollow for migrants’ rights at European borders
Dr. A. Heinisch (Ghent University, Central European University): Responding Without Reforming? Evidentiary Reasoning as a Tool of Institutional Restraint at the ECtHR
Prof. V. Stoyanova (Lund University): Positive Obligations in Migration Cases
Prof. K. Lemmens
Strasbourg Observers is an academic blog that discusses recent developments at the European Court of Human Rights. The editorial team of Strasbourg Observers is based at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University and the Centre for Government and Law of Hasselt University.
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