The protection of national minorities is a core issue for the Council of Europe, and one of the major achievements in this field is the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The entry into force of the Framework Convention on 1 February 1998 was indeed an event of universal stature, for it is the first ever legally binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national minorities in general. Its importance is widely acknowledged, and the number of ratifications has grown rapidly. Simultaneously, an emphasis is being placed on the implementation and on the efficient functioning of the monitoring mechanism of the Framework Convention. This collection provides all those interested in the protection of national minorities a user-friendly compilation of the basic texts concerning the Framework Convention. In addition to the Framework Convention and its explanatory memorandum, the collection contains texts pertaining to the monitoring mechanism in general and the Advisory Committee in particular. It further provides the state of signatures and ratifications as well as declarations and reservations. It also contains a list of State Reports received and Opinions of the Advisory Committee adopted under both the first and second cycles of monitoring.

The European Convention on Human Rights: A Commentary is the first complete article-by-article commentary on the ECHR and its Protocols in English. This book provides an entry point for every part of the Convention: the substance of the rights, the workings of the Court, and the enforcement of its judgments. A separate chapter is devoted to each distinct provision or article of the Convention as well as to Protocols 1, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, and 16, which have not been incorporated in the Convention itself and remain applicable to present law. Each chapter contains: a short introduction placing the provision within the context of international human rights law more generally; a review of the drafting history or preparatory work of the provision; a discussion of the interpretation of the text and the legal issues, with references to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission on Human Rights; and a selective bibliography on the provision. Through a thorough review of the ECHR this commentary is both exhaustive and concise. It is an accessible resource that is ideal for lawyers, students, journalists, and others with an interest in the world's most successful human rights regime.

This volume of the "Yearbook of the European Convention on Human Rights, prepared by the Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, relates to 2003. Part one contains information on the Convention. Part two deals with the control mechanism of the European Convention on Human Rights: selected judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and human rights (DH) resolutions of the Committee of Ministers; part three groups together the other work of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights, and includes the work of the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Directorate General of Human Rights; part four is devoted to information on national legislation and extracts from national judicial decisions concerning rights protected by the Convention. Appendix A contains a bibliography on the Convention, and Appendix B the biographies of the new judges elected to the European Court of Human Rights.

This is the third edition of Van Dijk and Van Hoof's classic work: "Theory and Practice of the European Convention. The developments which have taken place under the Convention since the second edition was published have been numerous and comprehensive, and the Convention has gained a central position in the legal systems of many European countries. Three Protocols have been added to the Convention; the number of Parties to the Convention has grown from twenty-two to no less than thirty-six; and the case-law concerning the Convention has increased significantly. Like its predecessors, this third edition offers a full description of the present procedural practice and case-law of both the European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights, and is an indispensable guide. Protocol No. 11 to the Convention, which will enter into force by the end of 1998, will drastically change the supervisory system under the Convention, establishing one Court. This new Court will also perform the present functions of the Commission's procedures and working methods, and by its case-law concerning admissibility. This new edition will therefore remain relevant for the practice and case-law of the new Court for many years to come.

The model system created by the European Convention on Human Rights is internationally renowned. The rights it protects are among the most important, covering not only civil and political rights, but also certain social and economic rights, such as the right to respect for personal possessions. The European Court of Human Rights stands at the heart of the protection mechanism guaranteeing these rights. It is now an entirely judicial system since the adoption and entry into force of Protocol No. 11, which reorganised the whole system and extended the Court's jurisdiction. The Court's excessive caseload is a problem, though, and this has led to the further improvements contained in Protocol No. 14, designed to strengthen the operation and effectiveness of the Court.