Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights

Progress report | Doc. 16257 Add. 2 | 17 September 2025

Author(s):

Bureau of the Assembly

1 Report of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights

The Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights held a meeting in Paris on 15 September 2025, with Ms Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC), Chairperson, in the Chair.

The committee assessed the lists of the candidates to the Court in respect of Cyprus and Hungary. [(1) See Appendix 1 for the lists of candidates submitted by the government concerned. The full lists and curricula vitae of candidates can be found in Assembly documents: Doc. 16233 (Cyprus) and Doc. 16235 (Hungary).]

2 Conclusions of the committee on the lists of candidates submitted by Cyprus and Hungary

2.1 Cyprus [(2) Following the publication of this report on 17 September 2025, Ms Elena Efrem informed the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of her withdrawal from the list of candidates to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Cyprus. The election procedure is therefore suspended in accordance with paragraph 2 of the Appendix to Resolution 1432 (2005). The government of Cyprus has been invited to complete the list by replacing Ms Efrem.]

The committee interviewed all the candidates on 15 September 2025.

The committee recommends to the Assembly, by a majority, Ms Margarita Papantoniou as the most qualified candidate.

2.2 Hungary

The committee recommends to the Assembly to reject the list on procedural grounds.

Appendix 1 – Lists of candidates submitted by the Government of Cyprus and Hungary

Cyprus

• Ms Elena EFREM
• Ms Natasa MAVRONICOLA
• Ms Margarita PAPANTONIOU

Hungary

• Ms Krisztina Márta ROZSNYAI
• Mr Balázs Tibor SCHANDA
• Mr Marcel SZABÓ

Appendix 2 – Members of the committee who participated in the meeting [(3) Not all members of the committee participated in the votes.]

Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group (SOC)

• Ms Petra BAYR, Austria – Chairperson
• Baroness Shami CHAKRABARTI, United Kingdom
• Mr Titus CORLĂŢEAN, Romania
• Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus
• Ms Agnes Sirkka PRAMMER, Austria
• Ms Gala VELDHOEN, Netherlands

Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

• Ms Regina BASTOS, Portugal
• Ms Belén HOYO, Spain
• Mr Rónán MULLEN, Ireland
• Ms Christine PASQUIER-CIULLA, Monaco
• Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN, Armenia
• Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine

Group of the European Conservatives, Patriots & Affiliates (ECPA)

• Ms Iwona ARENT, Poland
• Sir Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom
• Ms Sylvie JOSSERAND, France

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

• Mr Régis BERGONZI, Monaco
• Ms Stephanie KRISPER, Austria
• Ms Elena-Simona SPĂTARU, Romania

Group of the Unified European Left (UEL)

• Mr Berdan ÖZTÜRK, Türkiye

Ex officio members

• Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy
• Lord Richard KEEN, United Kingdom

Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly

• Ms Despina CHATZIVASSILIOU, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly
• Ms Sonia SIRTORI, Director of Committees – Democracy and Rule of Law
• Mr Guillem CANO PALOMARES, Head of the Secretariat of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights