Sir, – Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, writes that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is "a body . . . unrelated to the European Union" ("Protection of sources is a principle worth defending now more than ever", Opinion & Analysis, February 22nd).
Accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (and its court at Strasbourg) is a condition – listed among the 1993 Copenhagen criteria – for entry into the European Union.
The accession of the EU, as an entity, to the convention became a legal obligation under the Treaty of Lisbon.
While they remain separate organisations, official talks on the EU’s accession to the ECHR have been under way since 2010.
:fill(white):background_color(white)/static.themebuilder.aws.arc.pub/irishtimes/1647534191476.png)
Whatever you think of the ECHR (with judges from serial human-rights abusing Albania, Azerbaijan and Russia, leavened with comic opera Montenegro, San Marino and Andorra), it is joined at the hip to the EU. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.