At the Council of Europe Conference in Brighton on 19 and 20 April 2012, the Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke announced plans to reform the European Court of Human Rights.
The Brighton Declaration was formally adopted by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe following the talks in Brighton.
The Council of Europe agreement will tackle issues with the Court by:
- Amending the Convention to include the principles of subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation
- Amending the Convention to tighten the admissibility criteria – so that trivial cases can be thrown out and the focus of the Court can be serious abuses
- Reducing the time limit for claims from six months to four
- Improving the selection process for judges
- Setting out a roadmap for further reform.
Click here for press release
Click here for link to the Brighton Declaration
Click here for link to speech by the Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke
