03Sep2014

Protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe: On 3 September 1953, the European Convention on Human Rights entered into force. FRA joins the Council of Europe in celebrating 60 years of this landmark international human rights treaty and how it has helped uphold the rights of people across Europe.

“The European Convention on Human Rights blazed the trail for fundamental rights protection across Europe,” said FRA Director Morten Kjaerum. “It has allowed countless Europeans to find justice and have their basic human rights upheld. It continues to serve as a beacon across the world to the standards of dignity, democracy, respect for human rights and equality that lie at the core of Europe.”

The Convention was drafted in 1950 by the Council of Europe. The Convention established the European Court of Human Rights which allows any person who who feels their rights under the Convention have been violated by a state party to take a case to the Court. Since 1953, over 500,000 applications have been dealt with under the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights has delivered approximately 16,500 judgments.

FRA in its legal analysis of human rights protection in Europe, regularly draws on the judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights. FRA also regularly coordinates its activities with those of the Council of Europe, to ensure complementarity, help provide better all-round human rights protection across Europe.

Since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, the EU is due to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights. Negotiators of the 47 Council of Europe member states and the European Union have finalised the draft accession agreement of the European Union to the European Convention on Human rights. The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg will now be asked to give its opinion on the text.

Source:FRA