History

The Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum (the Forum/BCCF) is an association of the constitutional courts and analogous institutions of the countries of the Balkan region.

The foundations of the Forum were laid in 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria, where the presidents of the constitutional courts of six countries – the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Republic of Türkiye – signed a Memorandum of understanding which expressed the parties’ will to engage in a long-term institutional partnership and laid the main legal framework of the Forum.

The Forum was established to foster the exchange of best practices, experiences, and ideas in the field of constitutional adjudication. It serves as a collaborative space for constitutional jurisdictions to share knowledge, support institutional development, and reinforce their independent roles as guardians of constitutional values.

To these ends, the Forum organises various events such as conferences and seminars in the field of constitutionalism. The BCCF also aspires to become a platform for partnership between the administrations of the member institutions developing the administrative capacity by conducting training programs for staff members, workshops, and seminars. The member courts of the Forum strive to further develop joint research activities, comparative studies, publications.

The Secretariat of the Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum is the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria, in Sofia.

The presidency of the Forum is rotational and is held by the Court which is organising the upcoming Annual Meeting which typically takes place in the month of October each year. As of 2025, the Presidency is with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye.