05/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, is delighted that Russia has ratified Protocol 14 to the European Convention of Human Rights, thereby enabling the Convention to come into force. “The application of Protocol 14 will reinforce the Convention and make the European Court of Human Rights more effective and efficient, thereby strengthening its crucial role in the protection of human rights in Europe”, explains Ashton in a press release published on 5 February. “The EU considers the entry into force of Protocol 14 an essential and integral part of the current overall reform process of the European system of human rights protection and is therefore looking forward to cooperating constructively on furthering these reforms at the ministerial conference in Interlaken” in Switzerland, she explains. (H.B./transl.fl)