Britain does better than any other major European country apart from Finland and Sweden at implementing the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, the court revealed today. In a league table showing the proportion of cases closed last year, the UK stands at number five, with a score of 96.8%. 

Liechtenstein and Andorra and the two Nordic states head the table, which appears in the annual report on the execution of the court's rulings. Russia, which is theoretically obliged to implement Strasbourg decisions, lags alongside Azerbaijan in the bottom slot, closing just 25.4% of cases. France (92.2%), Germany (89.9%) and Ireland (85.7%) stand at 10th, 14th and 18th places respectively. 

 

 

 

As an example of implementation, the report cites the UK’s action following the ruling in Big Brother Watch v UK over the bulk interception of communications. ‘In response to shortcomings found by the court in the old legislative regime … the authorities adopted the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, together with the Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018. In 2024, the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (Remedial) Order 2024 further amended certain parts of the IPA to bring it in line with the European court’s judgment.’

Commenting on the figures, the Council of Europe's secretary general, Alain Berset, urged member states to do more to implement ECtHR decisions. 'The efficient execution of the court's judgments is essential for the rule of law and democratic accountability in Europe,' he said. 

The annual report shows that, in 2024, 992 cases were transferred from the European Court of Human Rights to the committee that supervises implementation by member states. Of those 992 new cases, 194 were 'leading' cases – often requiring action to be taken by states to prevent the same violations happening again – and 798 were repetitive cases, based on known problems that had already been identified by the Court.

A total of 894 cases were closed, including 161 leading cases and 733 repetitive cases. At the end of the year, 3,916 cases were pending full implementation, including 1,149 leading cases and 2,767 repetitive cases.