 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
European Commission and Council of Europe kick off joint talks on EU's accession to the Convention on Human Rights Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 14:48 Hrs Official talks started on 7 July on the European Union's accession to the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission discussed at a meeting in Strasbourg how to move the process forward so that employees and citizens can swiftly benefit from stronger and more coherent fundamental rights protection in Europe.  The EU’s accession to the ECHR is required under Article 6 of the Lisbon Treaty and foreseen by Article 59 of the ECHR as amended by the Protocol 14. The Council of Europe and the EU are now putting in place the missing link in Europe's system of fundamental rights protection, guaranteeing coherence between the approaches of the Council of Europe and the EU. With accession, the EU would become the 48th signatory of the ECHR. Accession will provide a new possibility of remedies for individuals, workers and citizens. They will be able to bring complaints – after they have exhausted domestic remedies – about the alleged violation of fundamental rights by the EU before the European Court of Human Rights. The EU's accession to the ECHR will place the EU on the same footing as its Member States with regard to the system of fundamental rights protection supervised by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The EU would have its own judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. On 17 March 2010, the Commission proposed negotiation Directives for the EU's accession to the ECHR. On 4 June, EU Justice Ministers gave the Commission the mandate to conduct the negotiations on their behalf. At the end of the process, the agreement on accession shall be concluded by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and unanimously by the Council of the EU. The European Parliament, which has to be fully informed of all stages of the negotiations, must also give its consent. After the agreement is concluded, it will have to be ratified by all 47 contracting parties to the ECHR in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements, including by those who are also EU Member States. Both sides are committed to a smooth and swift conclusion of the talks, allowing the accession to take place as early as possible. For more information, click [here].
|