European Consensus and the Legitimacy of the European Court of Human Rights

256 Pages·2015·1.129 MB·English

by  Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou

EUROPEAN CONSENSUS AND THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE EUROPEAN
COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
In order to be effective, international tribunals should be perceived as
legitimate adjudicators. European Consensus and the Legitimacy of
the European Court of Human Rights provides in-depth analyses on
whether European consensus is capable of enhancing the legitimacy of
theEuropeanCourtofHumanRights.Focusingonthemethodandvalue
ofEuropeanconsensus,itexaminesthepracticalitiesofconsensusidenti-
ficationandapplicationanddiscusseswhetherStatecountingisappro-
priateinhumanrightsadjudication.Withover30interviewsfromjudges
oftheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightsandqualitativeanalysesofthe
case law, this book gives readers access to first-hand and up-to-date
informationandprovidesanunderstandingofhowtheEuropeanCourt
ofHumanRightsinStrasbourginterpretstheEuropeanConventionon
HumanRights.
kanstantsindzehtsiarouisaSeniorLecturerinlawattheUniversity
ofSurreyandVisitingProfessorattheEuropeanHumanitiesUniversityin
Vilnius,Lithuania.

EUROPEAN CONSENSUS AND
THE LEGITIMACY OF THE
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN
RIGHTS
KANSTANTSIN DZEHTSIAROU
UniversityofSurrey
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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©KanstantsinDzehtsiarou2015
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Firstpublished2015
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LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Dzehtsiarou,Kanstantsin,author.
EuropeanconsensusandthelegitimacyoftheEuropeanCourtofHuman
Rights/KanstantsinDzehtsiarou.
pages cm
ISBN978-1-107-04103-5(hardback)
1. EuropeanCourtofHumanRights. 2. Internationalhumanrights
courts–Europe. I. Title.
KJC5138.D94 2015
342.2408′50269–dc23
2015008277
ISBN978-1-107-04103-5Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
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ForLarisa

CONTENTS
Listoffigures pagexi
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgements xvi
Tableofcases xviii
Abbreviations xxiv
1 Introduction 1
2 TheconceptofEuropeanconsensus 9
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 DefinitionofEuropeanconsensus 10
2.2.1 Terminology 10
2.2.2 Levelofconsensus 14
2.2.2.1 Consensusatthelevelofrules 15
2.2.2.2 Consensusatthelevelofprinciples 16
2.3 SpreadofEuropeanconsensus 17
2.3.1 Importanceofconsensus 17
2.3.2 Reasonsforlimiteddeploymentofconsensus 21
2.4 ApplicationofEuropeanconsensus 23
2.4.1 Europeanconsensusinaction 24
2.4.2 LimitsofapplicationoftheEuropeanconsensus
argument 30
2.4.2.1 Textoftheconventionandprotocols 30
2.4.2.2 Historicalandpoliticaljustification 32
2.4.2.3 Moralsensitivityofthematteratissue 34
2.5 Conclusion 36
3 Typesofconsensus 38
3.1 Introduction 38
vii
viii contents
3.2 Typologyofconsensus 39
3.2.1 Consensusbasedoncomparativeanalysis
ofthelawsandpracticesoftheContractingParties 40
3.2.2 Europeanconsensusbasedoninternationaltreaties 45
3.2.3 InternalconsensuswithintherespondentState 49
3.2.4 Consensusamongexperts 55
3.3 Interactionsbetweendifferenttypesof
consensus 56
3.3.1 InteractionbetweenEuropeanconsensusbasedon
comparativelawandEuropeanconsensusbasedon
internationaltreaties 57
3.3.2 InteractionbetweenEuropeanconsensusandinternal
consensus 60
3.3.3 Europeanconsensusandinternationaltrends 65
3.4 Conclusion 71
4 Behindthescenes:Comparativeanalysiswithin
theCourt 72
4.1 Introduction 72
4.2 Purposesofcomparativelaw 74
4.2.1 Fitandvision 74
4.2.2 Informationandpersuasion 77
4.3. Whatiswrongwithcomparison?Criticismof
comparativelegalresearchconductedbythe
Court 78
4.4 Evolutionofcomparativelegalresearch 82
4.4.1 Limitedfactualjustification 82
4.4.2 Recoursetopreviousfindings 84
4.4.3 Comparativelawresearchprepared
bytheECtHR 86
4.4.4 Comparativeresearchconductedbythirdparties 97
4.5 Keychallenges 101
4.5.1 Comprehensivecomparativeresearch 102
4.5.2 Legalprovisionsincontext 105
4.5.3 Subjectmatterofcomparison 109
4.5.4 Translationoflegalterms 111
4.6 Conclusion 114