ECHR judge selection shrouded in silence

The process to select a new judge to sit on the European Court of Human Rights has started but very little official information has been issued even if the Council of Europe’s Parliament Assembly demands a “fair and transparent” procedure.

The nine-year term of office of the incumbent, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano, expires on September 19 and the government has been invited to submit a list of three candidates by March 6. It is the Parliamentary Assembly that makes the final choice, which is expected to happen some time in April.

A call for applications from candidates “possessing the necessary qualifications and expertise” was made in The Malta Government Gazette in late November. The deadline was December 21.

The notice, which was also carried in a Sunday newspaper in early December, referred to article 21 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which lays down that the judges “shall be of high moral character and must either possess the qualifications required for appointment to high judicial office or be jurisconsults of recognised competence”.

They must be able to actively engage in either the English or French language and also be able to listen, read and...