New human rights treaty means EU can be sued for rights violations

A new European Union treaty endorsed earlier today means that EU institutions can be sued for human rights violations, The Associated Press reported.

The EU Reform Treaty includes terms that hold the EU, as a legal entity, to the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the Council of Europe, the treaty allows EU institutions to be taken to court for civil liberty breaches.

The 27 members of the EU have joined the convention previously; however, the EU and its institutions cannot currently be taken to a human rights court.

Europe’s human rights court is open to citizens of the 47 member states in the Council of Europe, as well as any third country citizens who believe their rights have been violated by one of the European countries.

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