EU members hit for wanting to easily deport criminals
BRUSSELS—The head of the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights watchdog, criticized an initiative by nine European countries calling on member states to make it easier to expel foreign criminals.
European governments have expressed frustration with the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) use of the European Convention on Human Rights to block deportations, and they are calling for a review of the court’s interpretation.
“In a society governed by the rule of law, no judiciary should face political pressure. Institutions that protect fundamental rights cannot bend to political cycles,” said Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset in a statement on Saturday.
“If they do, we risk eroding the very stability they were built to ensure. The court must not be weaponized—neither against governments, nor by them.”
Protecting the wrong people
In a letter drafted by nine European countries, the EU is urged to review how courts interpret the convention.
Spearheaded by Italy and Denmark, the countries argue that member states should have greater national autonomy in deciding when to expel criminal foreign nationals. They say they have witnessed cases where the court’s interpretation has protected the wrong individuals and imposed excessive limitations on states’ ability to expel foreigners.
The EU member countries that also include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, say that the ECHR has overly restricted their ability to deport foreign criminals convicted of serious crimes involving violence and drugs.
National security
Some stress that such restrictions have hindered their capacity to protect their citizens and their national security.
In criticizing the push to allow easy deportation of criminals, Berset emphasized that the ECHR exists to protect the rights and values of member states, and that “upholding the independence and impartiality of the Court is our bedrock.”
