National Implementation of ECHR Rights: Kant’s Categorical Imperative and the Convention

59 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 2011

See all articles by Eirik Bjorge

Eirik Bjorge

University of Oxford - Corpus Christi College; University of Oslo

Mads Andenas

University of Oslo - Faculty of Law; Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London; University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law

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Date Written: July 11, 2011

Abstract

The effectiveness of the European Convention of Human Rights and of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights depends on national implementation. This article looks at the implementation of the Convention in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Norway, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In all of these jurisdictions there has been fundamental change over the last 10–15 years. For the ECHR system to work, the national courts must interact with Strasbourg only in ways which are capable of being universalised and applied also by other European courts. This article inquires into whether national courts have taken on board the imperative of their role and responsibility in a wider European context: UK exceptionalism may breed a Russian; exceptionalism in Germany will provide courts in other states with arguments as to why they too need not follow the ECHR. The inquiry concludes that the national jurisprudence implementing the Convention into national law generally has taken this imperative on board.

Keywords: ECHR, national courts, human rights, Horncastle, Pinnock, Ullah, Yemshaw, Goodwin, Lautsi, Schalk & Kopf, Gäfgen, Planchenault, Boussouar, Görgülü, Sicherungsverwahrung, preventive detention, Bundesverfassungsgericht, EGMR, Vosskuhle, judicial dialogue, dynamic or evolutive interpretation

Suggested Citation

Bjorge, Eirik and Andenas, Mads, National Implementation of ECHR Rights: Kant’s Categorical Imperative and the Convention (July 11, 2011). Oxford Student Legal Studies Paper No. 3/2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1883681 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1883681

Eirik Bjorge (Contact Author)

University of Oxford - Corpus Christi College ( email )

Merton Street
Oxford, OX1 4JF
United Kingdom

University of Oslo ( email )

PO Box 6706 St Olavs plass
Oslo, N-0317
Norway

Mads Andenas

University of Oslo - Faculty of Law ( email )

PO Box 6706 St Olavsplass
Oslo, 0130
Norway

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London ( email )

Charles Clore House
17 Russell Square
London, WC1B 5DR
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://ials.sas.ac.uk/about/staff/staff.asp?ID=2

University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law

Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

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