| Author (Person) | Warrell, Helen |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Financial Times |
| Series Details | 25.1.12 |
| Publication Date | 25/01/2012 |
| Content Type | News |
|
In a speech on the 25 January 2012 to mark the United Kingdom's six-month presidency of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, UK Prime Minister David Cameron urged the institution to reform its European Court of Human Rights, to grasp a 'once-in-a-generation' chance to enhance the institution’s reputation and streamline its operations. The European Court of Human Rights must be reformed so that it is free to deal with the most egregious rights abuses rather than acting as a 'small claims court'. The European court currently had a backlog of more than 150,000 cases. The UK intended to map out improved procedures for nominating judges and a strengthening of the subsidiarity principle – whereby final decisions are made at a national level. However, Sir Nicolas Bratza – President of the ECHR and the UK’s representative at the ECHR said that the comments were a pandering to the popular press and were based on a 'misunderstanding of the court’s role and history'. Mr Cameron’s calls for an overhaul of the European Court of Human Rights did receive firm backing from Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. |
|
| Related Links |
|
| Subject Categories | Law, Values and Beliefs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, United Kingdom |
