France has just ratified Protocol No. 16 to the Convention, thus bringing the instrument into force. Protocol No. 16 will allow the highest courts of the member States of the Council of Europe to request the Court to give advisory opinions on questions of principle relating to the interpretation or application of the rights and freedoms defined in the Convention, in the context of cases pending before the national courts.
The President of the European Court of Human Rights, Guido Raimondi, warmly welcomed this tenth ratification, with the following words: “The entry into force of Protocol No. 16 will strengthen dialogue between the European Convention on Human Rights and the national higher courts. This is a milestone in the history of the Convention and a major step forward in human rights protection in Europe, as well as being a fresh challenge for our Court”. Protocol No. 16 will come into force on 1 August 2018, solely in respect of the States which have signed and ratified it.
