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Considering the need to ensure that the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as “the

Court”) can continue to play its pre-eminent role in protecting human rights in Europe,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

At the end of the preamble to the Convention, a new recital shall be added, which shall read as follows:

“Affirming that the High Contracting Parties, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, have the primary

responsibility to secure the rights and freedoms defined in this Convention and the Protocols thereto, and that in

doing so they enjoy a margin of appreciation, subject to the supervisory jurisdiction of the European Court of

Human Rights established by this Convention,”

Article 2

1 In Article 21 of the Convention, a new paragraph 2 shall be inserted, which shall read as follows:

1 “Candidates shall be less than 65 years of age at the date by which the list of three candidates has been

requested by the Parliamentary Assembly, further to Article 22.”

2 Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 21 of the Convention shall become paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 21

respectively.

3 Paragraph 2 of Article 23 of the Convention shall be deleted. Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 23 shall become

paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 23 respectively.

Article 3

In Article 30 of the Convention, the words “unless one of the parties to the case objects” shall be deleted.

Article 4

In Article 35, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the words “within a period of six months” shall be replaced by

the words “within a period of four months”.

Article 5

In Article 35, paragraph 3, sub-paragraph b of the Convention, the words “and provided that no case may be

rejected on this ground which has not been duly considered by a domestic tribunal” shall be deleted.

Final and transitional provisions

Article 6

1 This Protocol shall be open for signature by the High Contracting Parties to the Convention, which may

express their consent to be bound by: