Swiss parliament votes to remain in European rights system
The legal victory of a group of women against Swiss climate policy this year has sparked debates about the role of the ECHR.ÂKeystone-SDA
Switzerland should not leave the European Convention on Human Rights, both chambers of parliament said this week.
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On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a Swiss People’s Party motion to leave the convention at the earliest possible date, by 37 votes to 6 with one abstention. This came after the House of Representatives rejected a similar motion on Tuesday.
In contrast, by 32 votes to 12, senators approved a motion by Radical-Liberal Andrea Caroni calling on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to focus on its core tasks. He wants the Swiss government to work with other states to push for this idea.
This proposal will now go back for debate to the House of Representatives.
The background to all this is the April 2024 ruling by the ECHR, which said that Switzerland was failing to meet its human rights obligations with regard to climate protection. Critics complain that the ruling undermines democratic decisions.
