Brussels, 02/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The history and current events of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms will be discussed on Wednesday 3 November in Rome, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Convention. A colloquy will take place at the Palazzo Barberini in the centre of Rome, the same place where the document was signed.
The Convention of Rome dates back to 4 November 1950 but the Rome celebrations have been brought forward a day in an effort to avoid any clash with the day when the end of the First World War is celebrated in Italy. Wednesday also marks the beginning of the events celebrating the 150th anniversary of the country's unification.
The symposium was organised by the Italian parliamentary delegation to the Assembly of the Council of Europe, presided over by parliamentary delegate Luigi Vitali, in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome. The work undertaken at the symposium will underline the importance of the Convention and its different instruments, particularly the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which attempts to provide an example at an international level of the 47 countries belonging to the Council, in the fight against intolerance and discrimination.
Following the welcoming speech by the Italian minister of foreign affairs, Franco Frattini, speeches will be made by the president of the Italian Chamber, Gianfranco Fini, the president of the Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and other figures. The symposium will continue with a speech by the former president of the Italian Constitutional Court, Giovanni Conso, on the continued importance of the Convention. Homage will then follow for Pierre-Henri Teitgen, who was a key inspiration behind the conceptualisation of the Court, in addition to speeches by other experts, including the Italian minister for justice, Angelino Alfano and Court Judge, Guido Raimondi. (Gp/transl.fl)