Today, the Council of Ministers has approved the referral to the Spanish Parliament of the agreement for the ad referendum signature of Protocol 16 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which allows the High Courts of the Member States to request the European Court of Human Rights to issue advisory opinions on questions of principle relating to the interpretation or application of the rights and freedoms defined in the Convention.
With this Protocol, the dialogue between the Spanish justice system and the European Court of Human Rights is strengthened, since the High Courts of the Member States are empowered to request advisory opinions from the Court concerning the interpretation or application of the content of the Convention.
The ratification of this Protocol is in line with Spain's commitment to the protection of human rights as the backbone of our foreign policy.
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