Period for submitting an application to European Court of Human Rights is reduced from six to four months

04/01/2022 (Agence Europe) – Starting the 1 February, the deadline for submitting an application to the European Court of Human Rights will be reduced from six to four months after the last domestic decision. This amendment corresponds to Protocol No. 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights in the Court’s Action Plan for its future defined from 2010 to 2012. Adopted in 2013 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, this protocol had to be ratified by all 47 member states of the organisation and had to wait for Italy’s commitment in April 2021 to enter into force. The Court justifies this shortening of the deadline by the development of communication technologies and the near-equivalence of the time limits for bringing cases in the Member States. Exceeding these four months will result in the case not being accepted. (VL)