1190 Views On 3rd and 4th April 2018, the working meeting of the Presidents of Constitutional Courts - members of the Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Regions (BBCJ) took place in Tbisili, Georgia. The meeting was scheduled in order to prepare the Third Congress of the Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Regions (BBCJ), which will take place on 16th and 17th May 2018, in Tbilisi.
During this meeting, the representatives of the current members of BBCJ - i.e. Constitutional Courts of Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine - adopted a resolution on admitting the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland as a member of BBCJ, as of 16th May 2018, based on its request, as well as the fact that the Tribunal shares the principles and purposes of the Association.
At the meeting was also adopted the Statement on condemning aggression and violations of human rights in the occupied territories of the BBCJ member-states. By this Statement, the Association underlined the special role of the constitutional courts in ensuring the rule of law, which is inseparably linked to respect for international law and other European values. The inevitability of liability for aggression is an essential precondition for ensuring international peace and security and the prevention of international crimes. BBCJ has expressed its firm support for the efforts of Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian authorities in terms of condemning the Russian Federation for the aggression and assault on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as persecuting those responsible for these crimes.
BBCJ calls on other constitutional justice institutions not to remain indifferent to aggression and other international crimes.
BBCJ was established in 2015, on the initiative of the Constitutional Court of Moldova and the Constitutional Court of Lithuania, and it also includes the Constitutional Courts of Georgia and Ukraine, and, as of 16th May 2018, the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland. The Constitutional Court of Moldova held the presidency of BBCJ since its foundation until 31 December 2016, as the Court initiating the Declaration on the Establishment of BBCJ. In 2017, the presidency was held by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and starting with 1st January 2018 - by the Constitutional Court of Georgia.