It’s been some time now since I last wrote on the reform process of the Court and the two new protocols to the Convention (15 and 16) – see here and here. The Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) met at the end of November and formally adopted draft Protocol 15 (on additions to the Convention’s preamble and changes to the admissibility conditions) together with an explanatory report. The Steering Committee also adopted, provisionally, draft Protocol 16 (on advisory opinions by the Court to national judges) to which the Committee of Experts on the Reform of the Court was tasked to complete a draft explanatory report. In March final adoption of both Protocol 16 and the explanatory report are scheduled on the agenda of the Steering Committee.
Yesterday, the Committee of Ministers had Protocol 15 and the explanatory report on its agenda. It decided to transmit the draft Protocol to the European Court and to the Parliamentary Assembly to get their opinions on it. This may mean that the state delegates now agree on the text.
Relevant documents of the Steering Committee, including all the ones mentioned above, can be found here.
