Council of Europe – Significant Conventions
The Council of Europe 1949
The UK, a founding member of the Council of Europe, actively participates through its permanent representation and delegations to its institutions, like the European Court of Human Rights and the Parliamentary Assembly. Its role includes promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, developing policy, monitoring elections, and upholding the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The UK’s involvement ensures it remains a voice in European governance beyond the European Union, contributing to agreements like the European Convention on Human Rights.
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), is a landmark international treaty created by the Council of Europe to protect individual rights and freedoms across Europe. Signed in Rome on November 4, 1950, it established a system, including the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), to provide binding remedies for violations of those rights by member states. The ECHR crystallises many of the rights found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and gives individuals the power to bring cases against states before an international court, a key step in establishing that human rights can take precedence over national law.
The ECHR is an international treaty that the UK signed and ratified. As a signatory, the UK has a legal obligation under international law to uphold its provisions.
Even after Brexit, the UK remains committed to the ECHR and is obliged to follow its principles as long as it remains a member of the Council of Europe and party to the Convention.
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities 1995
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Framework Convention) is Europe’s most comprehensive treaty protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. It is the first legally binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national minorities worldwide, and its implementation is monitored by the only international committee dedicated exclusively to minority rights: the Advisory Committee. It was adopted on 10 November 1994 by the Committee of Ministers and it entered into force on 1 February 1998. It is now in force in 38 states.
