29/04/2010 Session
In a resolution adopted today, based on the report by Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc (Netherlands, EPP/CD), the Assembly in particular stresses the key role parliaments can play in stemming the flood of applications submerging the European Court of Human Rights, for instance by carefully examining whether draft legislation is compatible with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights and by keeping up the pressure on governments to execute Court judgments.
In practice, in order to maintain the impetus of the "Interlaken process", the long-term effectiveness of the Convention needs to be guaranteed. In this respect, PACE emphasises the importance of strengthening implementation of the Convention at national level, improving the effectiveness of domestic remedies in states with major structural problems and rapidly and fully executing the judgments of the Court.
The Assembly, which has a responsibility to elect judges of the highest calibre to the Court, also points out that only rigorous, fair and transparent national selection procedures can guarantee the quality, efficacy and authority of the Court.