30 years of the European Court of Human Rights

2028 marks the 30^th anniversary of the entry into force of Protocol 11 ECHR and the establishment of the “new” European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). It also marks 75 years of the of the European Convention on Human Rights coming into force. A right to individual petition was made compulsory for Member States of the ECHR in the same year as the introduction of the ‘new court’. 

To mark 30 years of the European Court of Human Rights, the Human Rights and Public Law Centre at Durham Law School will host a series of events from 2025-2029 to reflect on the challenges, achievements, and future of the court.

Through an examination of a variety of cross-cutting themes and human rights issues, we critically consider the ECtHR’s trajectory, from the rapid expansion of its caseload in the ‘years of plenty’ to methods introduced to limit its caseload in the ‘lean years’. We consider the reasons underlying the changing approach of the ECtHR in different areas of human rights law from issues relating to caseload, challenges to the democratic legitimacy of the ECtHR, and the global political context within which it operates. We also consider how the ECtHR should respond to those challenges as it turns 30.

The research questions include:

1. How has the ECtHR’s approach to a given human rights issue evolved over time?
2. What principles, interpretation techniques, and procedures has the ECtHR employed to facilitate the evolution of its case law?
3. What challenges does the ECtHR face?
4. How should the ECtHR respond to those challenges?

This research and engagement project will run from 2025 through 2029. For further information or enquiries, please contact Dr Dimitrios Kagioras at dimitrios.kagiaros@durham.ac.uk and Dr Jane Rooney at jane.rooney@durham.ac.uk.