A Symbol of the European Value System
Angelika Nussberger on the European Court of Human Rights
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Almost all European countries have committed themselves to the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the embodiment of this basic consensus. ECHR rulings influence many fields of law within the court’s 47 member states. Every country in the Council of Europe appoints a judge; so claims that ECHR rulings are politically motivated can be rejected due to the composition of the court’s chambers. Although the number of complaints pending has declined since the last reform, the backlog of 129,000 cases remains unacceptable.
(Osteuropa 2-3/2013, pp. 185–194)