EU accession to Human Rights Convention welcomed (Newham Borough Liberal Democrats)

Newham Borough Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

EU accession to Human Rights Convention welcomed

May 21, 2010 3:00 PM
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford has welcomed the European Parliament's overwhelming endorsement of negotiation of the accession by European Union itself to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is not an EU instrument. She said:

"This reform has been a long time coming. Although all EU states have to be party to and respect the ECHR, up to now there were legal obstacles to the accession of the EU itself as it is not a state. This anomaly can happily now be resolved."

"The benefit is to EU citizens. Not only will they have easier and more consistent access to justice across the whole of the Union, but they will be able to challenge the actions of the EU itself on human rights grounds and thus reinforce the pressure on the EU to live up to its fundamental rights obligations."

"Far from being a bid to enlarge EU competence, this will be a check on any abuse of power by Brussels. As such it should be welcomed by all in the UK who accept our membership of the EU but properly want it restrained from trampling on individual or national rights."

ENDS