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Bilateral visit between The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Conseil d’État

Bilateral visit between The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Conseil d’État

Sunday 28 November 2021 – Monday 29 November 2021

In November 2021, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom welcomed the Conseil d’État to the Court's building on Parliament Square earlier for a fruitful exchange of knowledge and views on key topics of interest.

The first session, led by Lord Hamblen, Lord Lloyd-Jones and Yves Gounin concerned the Coronavirus Crisis & Administrative Justice. Justices discussed the enduring principles of the Rule of Law and legal issues that have arisen during the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic.

The second session was on Virtual Justice, led by Lord Briggs and Bénédicte Fauvarque–Cosson. It touched on matters such as the development of digital justice and the online court.

The final session at the Court, led by Lady Arden, Lord Leggatt and Yves Doutriaux, considered the Immigration Justice System & Recent Jurisprudence. This comparative discussion looked particularly at refugee status determination.

Following the day's discussions, the delegations attended a conference on The Rule of Law & Covid–19 hosted by Ambassador Catherine Colonna, French Ambassador to the UK, at the Résidence de France.

This bilateral visit is part of a long–lasting tradition between the Supreme Court and the Conseil d'État. For more than 30 years, members of both Courts have regularly visited one another in Paris and London, sharing views, analysis and expertise on their jurisprudence and the issues and challenges they have encountered, be they legal, political or social. This exemplifies a shared conviction that cooperation between our two justice systems remains beneficial and necessary.

Lord Reed and Vice President Mr Bruno Lasserre
© Kevin Leighton UK Supreme Court Vice–president du Conseil d'Etat, Mr Bruno Lasserre & The President of Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, The Rt Hon The Lord Reed of Allermuir
Image of the Justices and Conseil D'etat
© Kevin Leighton UK Supreme Court
Lord Reed and Mr Bruno Lasserre
© French Embassy in the UK