Leaders of nine European countries have jointly called for a revision of how the European Convention on Human Rights is interpreted, aiming to ease the deportation of migrants involved in criminal activities. The initiative was formalized in a written statement spearheaded by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The document criticizes the European Court of Human Rights for what the leaders describe as an overly broad interpretation of the Convention, which they believe limits national capacities to ensure public safety, reports the Baltimore Chronicle, citing a statement.
Italy and Denmark propose launching a political debate about certain European legal instruments, particularly those drafted decades ago, questioning whether these documents are still adequate to address today’s pressing challenges, especially in the area of migration. The statement was also signed by the heads of government from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
The signatories urge for greater national discretion in handling the deportation of convicted foreign nationals and request legal authorization to monitor individuals who cannot be expelled for legal or technical reasons.
The statement underscores that the right to security and protection for victims and the law-abiding majority should, as a general rule, take precedence over other considerations. It also points to the increasing threat of hostile states using migrants as tools of political pressure.
This concern is illustrated by the artificial migration crisis that began in 2021 at the eastern borders of Poland and the Baltic states. The crisis, believed to have been orchestrated by Belarus in retaliation for EU sanctions following domestic repression and the forced landing of a commercial flight to detain a dissident blogger, continues to strain border control efforts. Despite reinforced border protections, the issue remains unresolved and periodically escalates in Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Earlier we wrote that EU to debate stripping Hungary of voting rights.