The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has elected Nicolas Emiliou as Judge at the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Cyprus, marking the latest milestone in a distinguished career in European and international law.
The election took place on Tuesday, with Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) selecting Emiliou by majority vote. His nine-year, non-renewable term will begin no later than three months after his election.
Election process
According to a PACE press release, judges of the European Court of Human Rights are elected by the Assembly from a list of three candidates nominated by each state that has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.
Academic background
Nicolas Emiliou studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he obtained his law degree in 1986. He went on to complete a postgraduate degree in European law at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1987, before earning a PhD in law from University College London in 1991.
Diplomatic and European service
Between 1997 and 1998, Emiliou served as Minister Plenipotentiary in the European Union Department of Cyprus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was subsequently appointed Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union, a post he held from 1998 to 1999.
From 1999 to 2002, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cyprus to Ireland. He later assumed the role of Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the Council of Europe from 2002 to 2004, while also representing the Cypriot government in cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
In 2004, Emiliou was appointed Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union, a position he held until 2008.
Senior public office
In 2008, Emiliou was appointed Director General of Cyprus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serving in that role until 2012. From 2012 to 2017, he was Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations in New York.
He returned to Brussels in 2017 as Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the European Union, a post he held until 2021. In parallel, he was a member of the panel of arbitrators of the Permanent Court of Arbitration from 1995 to 2016.
Recent role
On 7 October 2021, Nicolas Emiliou was appointed Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, a position he held prior to his election to the European Court of Human Rights.
Source: CNA