Thursday 7 January 2010

The EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): Court of Justice involvement

With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU will join the European Convention on Human Rights.

In two earlier posts on the matter (here and here) I have described the necessary steps as well as the legal and political difficulties this accession process faces.

Bearing in mind these difficulties, COREPER is going to admit an observer of the European Court of Justice in the Council consultations ahead of this accession, as one can read in a newly published Council document:
"COREPER is invited to allow the participation- as an observer- of a delegate from the Court of Justice of the European Union, already in the current preliminary meetings held at Justice and Home Affairs Counsellors level and possibly in the meetings of the Working Party on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons, throughout the duration of the discussions on a draft recommendation for the opening of negotiations for the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights."
I suppose that this is more than a good idea.

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