Ministers today vowed to stop “trivial” cases being decided by judges in Strasbourg as plans to limit the role of the European Court of Human Rights were unveiled at a conference.
Under the proposals, which British ministers hope will be agreed today by other nations, only cases that raised “serious” questions about a country’s application of human rights laws would be sent to Strasbourg.
There will also be tighter time limits on cases, permission for countries to apply human rights provisions in different ways, and greater recognition of decisions by national courts such as Britain’s Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, who announced the plan at the Council of Europe conference in Brighton, was optimistic that significant reforms could be achieved. “The rule of law is a bit tortuous in Strasbourg. Too many cases go there, including too many trivial ones, and it takes too long,“ he said.
However, Sir Nicolas Bratza, the British president of the European Court of Human Rights, said that the planned reforms would not be a “magic wand” in changing the balance of power.
