“A safety net for the people of Europe”: 65 years of the European Convention on Human Rights

The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, better known as the European Convention on Human Rights, entered into force on 3 September 1953.

Ahead of the anniversary, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said:

“The European Convention on Human Rights is a unique safety net protecting more than 830 million people. Whether applied by national courts or the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the Convention has changed people’s lives in many different ways across the whole continent. It has played a key role in promoting stability and security in Europe over the last 65 years and, at a time when the continent is facing many serious challenges, its safeguards remain as crucial as ever.”

The Convention is a legally-binding international treaty that has been signed and ratified by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe. When joining the Convention, states voluntarily commit to upholding people’s basic rights and freedoms including the right to life, the right to a fair trial and the right to free speech.

Individuals can bring complaints against member states to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which has the final say on interpreting the Convention and its case-law. Member states are obliged to implement judgments from the Strasbourg Court.

Facts and figures

• The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was opened for signature in Rome on 4 November 1950; it entered into force on 3 September 1953 after having been ratified by ten Council of Europe member states
• The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 to oversee the implementation of the Convention; between 1959 and 2017, the court handed down more than 20,000 judgments
• Almost 18,000 cases – including friendly settlements not requiring a full judgment from the court – have since been implemented by the member states; this has led to numerous changes to policy and practice as well as payments of “just satisfaction” to applicants
• Since its launch, the Convention has been supplemented by 16 different Protocols, the most recent of which – enabling national courts to ask the European Court of Human Rights for advisory opinions – entered into force on 1 August 2018
• Widespread reforms to the European Court of Human Rights and the execution of judgments process have been on-going since 2010; a stock-taking exercise is due to be concluded in 2019

Original source: CoE
Published on 31 August 2018