Bucharest walks in step with ECHR

Bucharest has decided to fall into step behind the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). On 23 February, the Romanian parliament adopted a law which will "oblige the government to respect human rights," reports Jurnalul National. From now on, all new legislation will have to be accompanied by a study to evaluate its impact on fundamental rights as stipulated by the European Convention on Human Rights. The government will also be forced to comply with the recommendations and decisions of the ECHR within a time frame of three months, which will also make the court’s jurisprudence obligatory. According to a current report produced by the Strasbourg court and quoted by the Romanian media, Romania was guilty of 139 breaches of European human rights legislation in 2009. Between 1998 and 2009, the country was fined 31 million euros for failing to safeguard human rights.