Towards a common European space for human rights?

Commentary feature. Who exactly is responsible for upholding human rights standards in Europe? The answer, as ever, is far from straightforward.

One possible forward is for the European Union to formally sign up to the Council of Europe's European Convention on Human Rights and, maybe oneday, sign as a member of the Council of Europe itself.

However, steps to achieve the first objective have stalled, due it is thought mainly to objections from the United Kingdom.

Barbara Lochbihler MEP is Chair of the European Parliament Sub-Committee on Human Rights. Kerstin Lundgren is former PACE rapporteur on the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the Council of Europe.

EEAS: EU relations with the Council of Europe http://eeas.europa.eu/organisations/coe/index_en.htm

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