05/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 5 November, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lluís Maria de Puig, welcomed the entry into force, on 1 December 2009, of the Lisbon Treaty, and hoped that the European Union's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), made possible by the treaty, would be a priority for the EU. "As of next month, the Europe of twenty-seven will adopt the means to become more democratic, more transparent and more efficient. However, thanks to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it will also have the opportunity to reinforce the principle of legal security by acceding to the ECHR of the Council of Europe, whereby the institutions of the Union will be subject to the same external controls on the conformity of their acts and decisions as the member states themselves. If there is a broad consensus today behind this accession, then the declarations of intent must rapidly translate into reality", said the president of the Assembly in a press release. (O.J./transl.fl)