ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

Europarådet 2017-18
ERD Alm.del Bilag 1
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Justitsministeriet

Dato:

Dok.:

Sagnr.:

18. september 2017

497866

2017-629-0083

Udkast til tale

Til brug for konferencen

The future of the European Human Rights System

“Changes

in order to preserve”

[Dansk introduktion]

Jeg har glædet mig til at komme her i dag.

Som justitsminister (og tidligere skolelærer) er der selvfølgelig

noget særligt over at tale på landets største juridiske uddannel-

sesinstitution.

Og det er spændende at se jeres nye flotte lokaler.

Jeg er også glad for det emne, jeg skal tale om. Diskussionen

om EMRK er noget, som ligger mig meget på sinde.

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

Derfor er jeg også taknemmelig for, at vi med hjælp fra Kam-

meradvokaten og Københavns Universitet har kunnet stable

dette vigtige arrangement på benene.

Tak for det!

[Engelsk fortsættelse]

Let me continue in English, since we have important interna-

tional experts here today.

The future of human rights in Europe is a very important topic.

That is why the Danish Government has decided to put this

topic on top of the agenda, when we take over the Chairman-

ship of the Council of Europe next month.

The reform agenda is not new. It has been discussed in the

Council of Europe for several years. And much has been

achieved.

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

Yet, to quote Shakespeare’s famous Danish Prince Hamlet: “All

is not well”.

The Court is still drowning in cases. And more seriously, the

authority of the Court is increasingly being challenged.

[The Danish Case]

A recent Danish survey shows that almost half of the Danish

voters across all political parties want Denmark to leave the Eu-

ropean Human Rights Convention if we do not improve the sys-

tem.

I find that thought-provoking.

As the Minister of Justice, I have to ask myself: Why is a coun-

try like Denmark suddenly so critical towards the European

Convention of Human Rights?

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

If you ask the ordinary Dane I think it is likely that he or she

will point to a case like the well-known Levakovic case. Which

was a Danish case.

In this case we couldn’t deport a foreign person with 23 cases

on his criminal record due to his family life.

I honestly don’t understand this. And my guess is: Most Danes

don’t either.

[What lies behind such criticism and how do we deal with

it?]

So what is this really about? Has the ordinary Dane suddenly

become an enemy of human rights?

I don’t believe so.

I believe many Danes simply feel that the politicians they have

voted for are better at dealing with certain issues than the Court

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

in Strasbourg.

And I believe that we, the politicians, feel that we are not al-

ways heard and understood, when we voice our opinions on

judgments we find unreasonable.

This has created a situation, where international human rights

have become increasingly “hard to sell”.

And this really doesn’t make sense. Because Danes, of course,

believe in democracy, human rights and the rule of law. These

are inherent values of our society.

So how do we deal with this situation?

Should we close our eyes and hope the problem magically dis-

appears?

Or should we openly address and discuss these issues?

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

I believe we should do the latter.

[What can we do?]

I know there is a risk of simplifying things.

I realize the European Court of Human Rights is a complex in-

stitution.

Safeguarding the human rights of 800 million people in 47

countries is no easy task.

The Convention system has done a remarkable job in promoting

human rights, democracy and the rule of law all over Europe.

Yet, at the same time, we have to accept that the system isn’t

perfect. And sometimes the Court gives judgments that create at

state of law that the people cannot identify themselves with.

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

We need to find ways to deal with that.

At the national level this is quite easy.

When Danish courts make judgments that are unreasonable to

the broad public, the parliament can change the law.

This is how the system works. Checks and balances.

We don’t have the same option in regard to the Strasbourg sys-

tem.

When I say there is a need for more political input to an interna-

tional court like the Strasbourg Court, it really shouldn’t come

as a surprise – much less be perceived as hostile.

I think it’s only natural.

No one has an interest in a Convention system that is perceived

as ‘out of sync’ with the member states and the broad public.

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

Least of all, the Court itself.

That was – as I understood it –a point the Danish judge Kjølbro

– who is here today – made when he was interviewed this sum-

mer for the Danish newspaper Politiken.

He also made another important point: It takes two to tango!

If we want the Court to listen more to us, then we need to speak

more clearly and directly to the Court.

We need to be more active and involved. And not just criticize

the Court blindly in our local parliaments and press.

This is exactly what we want to discuss under the Danish Chair-

manship. How do we ensure a stronger political dialogue? Be-

tween member states and the Human Rights Court.

Not to weaken the system. But to strengthen the system, and

ensure its long-term support and effectiveness.

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

[Ending]

I want to leave you with a clear message: Our reform initiative

is not about undermining human rights. It is about safeguarding

their future.

An effective European human rights system is fundamentally a

benefit to Denmark. We have a clear and direct interest in a

well-functioning Europe where democracy and freedom is re-

spected.

But we must face the fact that populations and decision-makers

are increasingly questioning the Convention system.

And if the Convention system starts to lose its broad support in

friendly countries like Denmark, we should be worried. And we

should act on it.

That is why we want to use Denmark’s well-known commit-

ERD, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 1: Materiale med relevans for EMRK-prioriteten under det danske kommende formandskab. Fra justitsministeriet departementet.

ment to human rights to spark a new and constructive discus-

sion on how we ensure a stronger political dialogue. We want to

show the people of Europe that we listen to them and their con-

cerns.

We are not looking for widespread changes of the system. But

few, yet important adjustments: Adjustments that are necessary

for future-proofing the European human rights system.

As chairman of the Danish Conservative People’s Party, I

would like to sum up our ambition in the words of the Conser-

vative thinker Edmund Burke: We need “change in order to pre-

serve”.

Thank you.