Governments must share the responsibility for protecting human rights in Europe, Sir Nicolas Bratza, President of the European Court of Human Rights, said today.
Addressing reforms to the Court, he said the year ahead will be “decisive.” The Court’s president claimed the impact of changes to the institution, following the conferences of Interlaken and Izmir, were “visible for all to see, ” pointing to the effectiveness of the pilot judgement procedure, a new prioritisation policy and the impact of Protocol 14.
Sir Nicolas said: “What is less visible is the follow-up at national level.” He called on governments to make reasoned and not emotional arguments for reform, so that the Court is able to continue the “supervisory role” for which it was designed.
“The burden of human rights protection must be a shared one,” he added. “It requires a collective effort. European governments must assume their part of the shared responsibility for the protection of human rights across the continent.
“It is important that the independence and authority of the Court not be undermined and that criticism of the court by governments, which can be legitimate, rely on reasoned argument rather than emotion and exaggeration.
“The Court should be able to assume the supervisory role for which it was designed. This it can only do with the help of the 47 governments which have ratified the convention.”
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