On the Road to Interlaken 2010
Pablo Picasso. Example of cubism and imagination. Source: Google images.
Russia has (and also formally on 4th February 2010, see ITAR-TASS, and EU Declaration on the Ratification of Protocol 14) ratified Protocol No.14 to the European Convention on Human Rights. On 15th January 2010, the State Duma of the Russian Federation voted in favour of the ratification of Protocol No.14. On 27th January 2010, the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament, the Federation Council, unanimously followed the State Duma. Russia was the only member to the Council of Europe who had not ratified the Protocol No.14 that had been ratified by the other 46 States Parties. Ratification of the Protocol by all members was the precondition sine qua the Protocol could not have entered into force. What is Protocol 14 about? – I have already written in this Blog that inter alia Protocol 14 enables the accession of the EU to the ECHR.
The European Court of Human Rights celebrates its 50th anniversary this year
A landmark intergovernmental conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights will take place from 18th to 19th February 2010 in Interlaken, Switzerland, during the Swiss Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Its aim is to reaffirm the States’ commitment to the protection of human rights in Europe and to draw up a roadmap for the future development of the Court. The Court’s Memorandum and an overview of the pre-Interlaeken process may be viewed at http://www.coe.int/t/dc/files/themes/protocole14bis/default_en.asp?
A broader underlying NGO policy document is available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/IOR61/009/2009/en
What kind of programmes You use?
According to the CoE website, it is not yet ratified by Russia, but with the agreement by the Duma and the upper chamber I don’t see any more hurdles until the process will be finalised.