On January 27, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced the creation of an Ethics Council to advise the President on judicial ethics. The Plenary Court adopted this decision during its session on 16 December 2024.

The Ethics Council will play a key role in addressing ethical dilemmas, preventing conflicts of interest, and upholding the judiciary’s credibility. It will consist of five members: the most senior Vice-President, the most senior Section President, and the three most senior sitting judges. The Court’s Registrar will assist the Council in its operations.

The President of the Court has the authority to consult the Ethics Council for guidance on a judge’s compliance with established ethical standards. This applies to serving judges, ad hoc judges, and permanent judges, including matters related to the Court as an institution.

The creation of the Ethics Council aligns with the Resolution on Judicial Ethics which assigns the President a central role in providing advice on judicial ethics. Article 12 of the Resolution was amended to reflect the establishment and functioning of the Council.

According to research by the European Centre for Law and Justice conducted in 2020, 22 percent of judges served between 2009 and 2019 had links to nongovernmental organizations. The report also claimed that in over 80 cases, judges did not recuse themselves despite having connections with their former employers.

Similar ethical frameworks exist in other international judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court and UN tribunals, to regulate judicial conduct.