Julia Laffranque
Mr David Sassoli President of the European Parliament PHS 06A055 Rue Wiertz 1047 Bruxelles BELGIQUE
Strasbourg, 25 September 2019
Honourable President,
Following the call for nominations published in the Official Journal of the EU of 30 August 2019, I hereby submit to you my application for the position of European Ombudsman.
Enclosed you will find a copy of my Estonian ID card as proof of my citizenship of a Member State of the European Union. I declare that I enjoy full civil and political rights.
In addition to the required solemn undertaking and proof that I have the support of a sufficient number of Members of the European Parliament, I also enclose certificates of my appointment as judge at the Supreme Court of Estonia and as judge at the European Court of Human Rights as well as my curriculum vitae. These serve to demonstrate that I meet the conditions required for the exercise of the highest judicial office in my country and have the acknowledged competence and experience to undertake the duties of Ombudsman.
I remain at your disposal should you require further information.
Yours sincerely,
Julia Laffranque
Enclosures: - Copy of my ID card - Certificate of appointment at the Supreme Court of Estonia - Certificate of appointment at the European Court of Human Rights - Curriculum vitae - Solemn undertaking - Nominations of more than 40 Members of the European Parliament (31 pages)
Curriculum Vitae
Name: Julia Laffranque (born Vahing) Date of birth: Citizenship: Estonian Languages: Estonian (mother tongue), fluent in English, French, German and Finnish Married, mother of three children E-Mail:
Professional record Career • Since 2011: Judge of the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg (Chair of the Organising Committee of Judicial Seminar 2013-2016; Vice-President of Second Section 2015-2018) • Since 2016: Visiting Professor of European Law, University of Tartu • 2011-2016: Professor of European Law, University of Tartu • 2010-2016: Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration • 2006: ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights • 2006-2011: Associated Professor of European Law, University of Tartu • 2004-2011: Judge at the Supreme Court of Estonia (member of administrative law chamber 2004-2011 and of constitutional law chamber 2007-2011) • 2002-2004; Senior Civil Servant; Acting Deputy Secretary General, responsible for legislative drafting, Ministry of Justice, Estonia - co-author of Estonian Constitutional Amendments for EU accession • 1999-2002; Senior Civil Servant: Head of European Union and Foreign Relations Division, Ministry of Justice, Estonia • 1996-1999: Expert, European Union Law, Ministry of Justice, Estonia
Secondments • 2007: Conseil d’État, Paris • 2005: Bundesverwaltungsgericht, Leipzig • 2000: Ministry of Justice, Paris • 2000: Ministry of Justice, Stockholm • 1997: Legal Service of the European Commission, Brussels
Activities
• 2010-2012: President of the International Federation of European Law (FIDE) • 2008-2010: President of the Consultative Council of European Judges of the Council of Europe (CCJE) • 2018: Member of the scientific committee of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights • 2000-2004: Member of the board of the Policy think-tank (Centre for Policy Studies) Praxis (Estonia) • Founding President of Estonian Association for European Law 2004-2013, since 2013: honorary president • Since 1999: Member of Estonian Academic Law Society (board member 2004-2012) • Since 1992: Member of Estonian Lawyers’ Union (board member 2005-2011)
Education • 1992-1997: Studies in law, Universities of Tartu and Hamburg • 1997: B.A. in law, University of Tartu, Estonia • 1998: LL.M. in law, University of Münster, Germany (DAAD scholarship) • 2002: Postgraduate studies and research in law, European University Institute of Florence, Italy and University of Kiel • 2003: PhD, Doctor iuris, University of Tartu
Honours
• Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite (France) • Order of the White Star, fourth class (Estonia)
Awards • Best trainer of judges, 2016 (Estonia) • European of the Year 2013 (European Movement, Estonia) • Justice in the World with CCJE, 2009 (Madrid)
Publications Author of law books, a legal dictionary and numerous other publications (list available at: Julia.laffranque.eu)
Main books:
• "Euroopa Liit ja Euroopa Ühendus: institutsioonid ja õigus" (European Union and European Communities: Institutions and Law), 1999; • Co-author of French-Estonian-French Legal Dictionary, 2002; • "Kohtuniku eriarvamus. Selle võimalikkus ja vajalikkus Eesti Vabariigi Riigikohtus ja Euroopa Kohtus." (The possibility and necessity of judicial dissent (dissenting opinion) in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia and in the European Court of Justice), dissertation, 2003 • "Õppematerjal kohtunikele: Eelotsuse küsimine Euroopa Kohtult" (Textbook for judges: References to the European Court of Justice), 2005; • "Euroopa Liidu õigussüsteem ja Eesti õiguse koht selles" (The Legal System of the European Union and Estonian Law), 2006; • Editor of Proceedings of XXV FIDE Congress, 2012. • Co-author of the commentary of Estonian Constitution, 2017; • "Euroopa Inimõiguste Kohus ja Eesti õigus" (The European Court of Human Rights and Estonian Law), 2017
Hobbies Theatre; European Choir of Estonians