Civil Society’s Role in Monitoring the Implementation of Human Rights Judgements Should Increase

Civil society’s involvement in monitoring the implementation of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments should be increased considerably. This was the key message at the European Implementation Network’s (EIN) General Assembly on 1 December 2018. The EIN is comprised of civil society organizations and lawyers and works towards the full implementation of Court judgments across the entire Council of Europe region.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the important role of civil society in ensuring judgments are carried out. While civil society has been involved in these procedures for the past fourteen years, there are still significant limitations with regard to inclusion, transparency and guidance for civil society. Also raised was the need to ensure that judgments made by the court do not just result in changes on paper, but lead to genuine and positive changes in people’s lives.

The meeting closed with the adoption of a statement directed towards relevant bodies of the Court and the issuance of proposals for increased civil society involvement.

The Netherlands Helsinki Committee joined European Implementation Network in early 2018. In the past, it has implemented projects in a number of countries to assist in developing the expertise of lawyers and NGOs in the submission of complaints to the Court.

To read the full statement click here: Joint Statement

To read the list of proposals click here: Joint Proposal List