Isabelle Berro-Amadei was deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to work with 46 other judges and 600-plus members of the Registry, of different nationalities and cultures, all seeking to uphold fundamental human rights.
When she first took up her new role at the Court, she was very much influenced by her legal training, her philosophical and ideological views and convictions, her culture and professional experience.
Thanks to the constant clash of ideas that informed her thinking, however, she soon realised that her truth was not the only truth, and that there were other ways of doing things that were equally valid. She learned a great deal from the sometimes differing, sometimes concordant views of the other judges and believed firmly in the need for the Court to take a collegial approach if it was to reach sensible, shared solutions, given the diversity of the judges' backgrounds, sensitivities and very different experiences.
She helped to maintain the consistency and depth of the judgments that underpin a solid body of case law, understood by all, and capable of accommodating changes in society. Isabelle Berro Amadei also realised that the judges could not do their jobs properly without the vital support of everyone else who worked at the Court under the Registrar, whatever their grade or position.
The Registry is the backbone of the Court, the mast of the ship, which continues to move forward against wind and tide, and through the headwinds and turbulence that sometimes assail it. During her years at the Court, the Monegasque judge witnessed at first hand the calibre of the work carried out, and the competence, loyalty and dedication of the judges and lawyers in the various sections in which she served.
Enriched by her encounters, her discussions and the interchange of ideas and opinions, she remains convinced that this magnificent institution can only continue to move forward if everyone, judges and members of the Registry, are together at the helm, united in a common commitment to the Court and human rights.
Apart from judicial matters, day-to-day life at the Court also afforded her some unforgettable experiences and opportunities to form solid, mutually rewarding friendships with the people who work there, from the most senior to the most junior.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
