The Relationship Between the Domestic Implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Ongoing Reforms of the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights has become a "victim of ongoing reforms." Continuous efforts to streamline and reinforce the system have proved inadequate in managing the challenge of its ever-increasing caseload. The consensus is that further reforms to the European Convention on Human Rights mechanisms are necessary in order to cope with the serious influx of cases from the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe. This book analyzes the set of five Recommendations referred to in the 2004 Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to encourage Member States to take effective domestic steps in ensuring appropriate protection of the Convention rights at the domestic level, in full conformity with the principle of subsidiarity. It also traces and evaluates the impact of the Convention in the domestic legal orders of Cyprus and Turkey and comparatively assesses the effective implementation of the May 2004 Recommendations in these two Member States. The book demonstrates how the efforts to secure the survival and effective operation of the Court must succeed at the national level and hence, the heavy burden to comply falls to Member States. The 2004 Recommendations address the source of the problem and are appropriate prescriptions for a healthy future and constitute a technical vehicle for implementing the Convention in the domestic legal orders of Member States. Such guidelines stemming directly from the Convention are invaluable in assisting Member States to improve the protection of human rights "at home." This study is a timely and valuable aid for Council of Europe and Court's officials, governments, human rights NGOs, academics, and practitioners.