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european chapter

The Europe Chapter

The Europe Chapter of the IARMJ was the first of the regional chapters to be formed, addressing issues of particular concern to its members, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the co-ordination of interests of member states of the European Union, the enactment of the Qualification Directives and the creation of EASO.  The Chapter has been at the forefront of the development of refugee and migration law in Europe and works closely with partners such as UNHCR and EASO.

Le chapitre Europe de l'IARMJ a été le premier des chapitres régionaux à être formé, abordant des questions d'intérêt particulier pour ses membres, y compris la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme, la coordination des intérêts des États membres de l'Union européenne, la promulgation des directives de qualification et la création de l'EASO. Le chapitre a été à l'avant-garde du développement du droit des réfugiés et des migrations en Europe et travaille en étroite collaboration avec des partenaires tels que le HCR et l'EASO.

Catherine Koutsopoulu

Chapter President Catherine Koutsopoulou

Judge Catherine Koutsopoulou serves as an Administrative Judge since 2010. She currently presides in the Special Migration and Asylum Chamber of the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens. From 2016 to 2022, she was also a member of the Independent Appeals Committees, adjudicating cases related to international protection. Judge Koutsopoulou has provided training on refugee law for the Greek National School of Judges, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), and the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN).

She serves as the National Contact Point for Greece in the EUAA Courts and Tribunals Network. Since 2020, she has held the position of Vice-President of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ-Global) and Co-Chair of the Asylum and Immigration Working Group of the European Association of Administrative Judges (AEAJ). 
 
In 2022, Judge Koutsopoulou was awarded a Commendation Medal of Honor by the Minister of Migration and Asylum in recognition of her distinguished service as a judge.
 
Judge Koutsopoulou holds a PhD in Refugee Law and is currently pursuing post-doctoral research in Refugee Law and Asylum Policy.