Human Rights in the Council of Europe and the European Union


Book Description

Confusion about the differences between the Council of Europe (the parent body of the European Court of Human Rights) and the European Union is commonplace amongst the general public. It even affects some lawyers, jurists, social scientists and students. This book will enable the reader to distinguish clearly between those human rights norms which originate in the Council of Europe and those which derive from the EU, vital for anyone interested in human rights in Europe and in the UK as it prepares to leave the EU. The main achievements of relevant institutions include securing minimum standards across the continent as they deal with increasing expansion, complexity, multidimensionality, and interpenetration of their human rights activities. The authors also identify the central challenges, particularly for the UK in the post-Brexit era, where the components of each system need to be carefully distinguished and disentangled.




Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights


Book Description

The model system created by the European Convention on Human Rights is internationally renowned. The rights it protects are among the most important, covering not only civil and political rights, but also certain social and economic rights, such as the right to respect for personal possessions. The European Court of Human Rights stands at the heart of the protection mechanism guaranteeing these rights. It is now an entirely judicial system since the adoption and entry into force of Protocol No. 11, which reorganised the whole system and extended the Court's jurisdiction. The Court's excessive caseload is a problem, though, and this has led to the further improvements contained in Protocol No. 14, designed to strengthen the operation and effectiveness of the Court.




The 1969 ‘Greek Case’ in the Council of Europe


Book Description

In 1969 Greece withdrew from the Council of Europe (CoE), following pressure exercised by various European countries, organisations, social movements and individuals in response to the brutal conduct of the military junta that had taken power by force on 21 April 1967. This volume brings together an international cast of noted historians, oral historians, political scientists, and legal scholars to investigate the perceptions, policies and roles of the key actors involved. These figures range from international organizations, states, and social movements to NGOs and individuals, critically demonstrating the extent of the legacy and long-term impact of the 'Greek Case' on international human rights. The 1969 'Greek Case' in the Council of Europe reveals how the pressure applied by the Council of Europe proved to be crucial for the international condemnation of the Colonels' regime, setting a precedent in international human rights cases for the significance of the collection of evidence on the use of torture.




The European Court of Human Rights


Book Description

This insightful book considers how the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is faced with numerous challenges which emanate from authoritarian and populist tendencies arising across its member states. It argues that it is now time to reassess how the ECHR responds to such challenges to the protection of human rights in the light of its historical origins.




Manual on Human Rights and the Environment


Book Description

Prepared by government experts from all 46 member states of the Council of Europe, this publication seeks to help promote a better understanding of the relationship between human fights and environmental issues by setting out details of relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the principles upon which these judgements are based. These include: the right to life (Article 2), the right to respect for family life (Article 8), the right to a fair trial and access to a court (Article 6) and the right to receive and impart information and ideas (Article 10) of the European Convention on Human Rights.










The Council of Europe


Book Description

The Council of Europe, of which all European States are members, plays a pivotal role in the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe. Bringing together specialist scholars and practitioners, The Council of Europe: Its Laws and Policies offers profound insights into the functioning of the organization. The organization's primary and secondary law, its institutional structure, and its far-reaching fields of activities are comprehensively and systematically analysed. This volume investigates the impact of the Council's activities within the national legal systems of the Member States and the dense web of relationships between the Council of Europe and other international organisations. An important reference work on one of the most influential organizations in Europe, the book concludes that the Council of Europe has played a considerable role in the constitutionalization process of regional public international law.




A Farewell to Fragmentation


Book Description

Exploring the role of the International Court of Justice in the re-convergence of international law, this book contends that the court's jurisprudence is transforming traditional concepts such as sovereignty, rights and jurisdiction and in so doing is leading a trend towards the reunification of international law.




The Inter-State Application under the European Convention on Human Rights


Book Description

The Inter-State Application under the European Convention on Human Rights provides the first comprehensive monograph about the State-to-State human rights enforcement mechanism. The functions of the mechanism include also dispute settlement aspects, which are related to the compulsory jurisdiction of the Strasbourg Court. The study provides a full account of the development of the Inter-State Application under Article 33 ECHR and puts its case law in the relevant historical and institutional context. The analysis concludes with detailed reform considerations which are situated within the discussion about the role of the European Court of Human Rights. The focus lies on the possibility to address and improve systemic human rights deficits beyond the single case. The Court’s growing inter-State docket evidences the need for legal certainty. See inside the book.