Opening speech by Tatu Leppänen, President of the Supreme Court of Finland, at the IACA Conference “People Centered Justice in the New Normal”, 18 October 2022 Helsinki

Ms President, Distinguished Speakers, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is a great pleasure and a privilege for me to attend this important conference and to make a few opening remarks. I bring you greetings from the Supreme Court of Finland. We are happy that you chose Finland and the city of Helsinki as the venue of the Conference. While October might not be the best time of the year to visit Finland, it is a particular month for our Court. In October the Court is celebrating its anniversary, this year its 104th anniversary.

After independence, the 1918 Constitution of Finland was based on the principle of separation of powers. The Supreme Court was established as an independent highest court in civil and criminal matters, and its members were given tenure. The constitutional status of the Supreme Court has not changed since that year. That said, the world in which the Court operates has changed time and again. The changing times are also implied in the agenda of this Conference “People Centered Justice in the New Normal”.

This year's Conference comes in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which is also an invasion against international law. The war in Europe has only further showcased the importance of upholding democratic values, human rights and the rule of law. As we all know these fundamental values are increasingly being called into question both at the European and the global level.

Independent and impartial courts of law are one of the cornerstones of the rule of law. They are safeguarded not only in national legislations such as Finnish Constitution but also in multilateral instruments such as European Convention of Human Rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the human rights instruments adopted by the United Nations. This highlights the universal nature of the rule of law.

Ladies and Gentlemen! I have understood that the vision of the International Association for Court Administration is to promote the role and functions of courts as independent institutions that exist to equitably, timely, and objectively resolve disputes and administer justice for the clients they were created to serve and whose resources enable them to do so. At the moment this vision is more relevant than ever before.

One cannot sufficiently underline that, in addition to judges, the court administration and personnel play an important role in upholding the rule of law and promoting judicial independence. They are essential for the efficient, effective, and transparent administration of justice. The administration is ensuring that the courts are able to maintain a high level of quality and efficiency in the exercise of their judicial powers.

It is crucial for the public trust in the judiciary that it functions well in practice. There must be a genuine access to court for ordinary people and justice must not be denied by delay or excessive costs. On the other hand, if the judicial system cannot properly function in practice, it is vulnerable to attacks on independence.

In short, court administration is the implementation mechanism for the rule of law, turning it from a principle into a reality. Not only law in books but law in action. This highlights the very importance of the everyday work of all of us. The rule of law stands there, in our everyday work, not only in these noble speeches.

As the world becomes more complex and interconnected, reinforcing of the court administration at the national and international levels is essential. Learning from each other's experience better equips us to finding the best way forward and to preventing challenges to the rule of law from emerging or deepening. Today’s conference is therefore a very success in itself.

Finally, dear President, I would like to thank the Association for organizing this event and putting together a programme of speakers from all over the world. The topics are interesting and important.

I welcome you all to Helsinki and wish you a successful Conference!