Rome (AP) – The European Commission defended the independence of the European Court of Human Rights on Saturday after nine member states said its interpretation of rights and obligations prevented them from deporting criminal immigrants.
Leaders of Denmark, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland demanded a “new, open dialogue” about how the court interprets the European Convention on Human Rights.
“Their focus is on rulings in the field of immigration,” European Commission Secretary Alain Berset said in a statement. “These are complex challenges and democracies must always remain open through appropriate institutional avenues.”
However, Berset stressed that the European Court of Human Rights “is not an external body” but a legal department of the European Council, “is bound by a convention freely signed and ratified by all 46 members.”
“There exists to protect the rights and values they are committed to defending,” he said. “Preserving the independence and impartiality of the court is our bedrock.”
He warned against politicizing the courts.
Nine European leaders said the court's interpretation of the Convention's case regarding the expulsion of “criminal foreign nationals” protects the “wrong people” and is subject to too many restrictions in the decision of who can be fired.
The European Council is not an EU institution and was established after World War II to promote peace and democracy.
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