The role of Council of Europe expert bodies in regard to human rights

A variety of mechanisms has been established in the Council of Europe to monitor compliance with human rights standards. A recent publication of Professor Renate Kicker, Chairperson of the Human Rights Advisory Council, and Markus Möstl, researcher at the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Graz (Styria), deals with the role of the Council of Europe expert bodies in the development of human rights.

In particular, the book discusses four monitoring bodies, namely the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and the European Committee of Social Rights. The publication assesses and compares the monitoring procedures and standard-setting activities of these expert bodies. Furthermore, it aims at deepening the understanding of the goals and functioning of Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms.  The book also discusses present-day challenges for monitoring and analyses the impact the expert bodies’ implementation standards may have on the development of the European human rights order.

For more information on the book "Standard-setting through monitoring?”, click here.