General Principles of the European Convention on Human Rights

'Gerards' book discusses the basic rules of the game that anyone who studies or works with the Strasbourg case law needs to familiarize themselves with: methods of interpretation, positive and negative obligations and their respective criteria, the margin of appreciation … These issues are of course discussed in the handbooks on the European Convention on Human Rights. Yet this book-length analysis gives them the attention they deserve, and allows for more thorough and nuanced analysis. Gerards is a leading scholar on European Court of Human Rights reasoning, and her discussion of these classical topics is very insightful.' Eva Brems, Universiteit Gent

'Janneke Gerards is one of the best Court-watchers of our time. She has a keen knowledge of the Court's case law. In this book, written in a readily accessible language, she describes the basic Convention principles, many of them established decades ago, and analyses how they have developed over time. With thousands of judgments delivered by the Court, it is sometimes difficult to see the forest through the trees. Gerards' book skilfully guides the reader through the forest and points to the lasting contribution of the truly leading cases, while illustrating or nuancing her findings with examples taken from more recent ones. The book is not merely descriptive. Gerards engages with the Court and is often critical of its case law. This is an exceptional book, because it is solidly evidence-based and at the same time offers a full-fledged general theory of the Convention.' Paul Lemmens, Judge, European Court of Human Rights

'This book provides an excellent picture of the foundational principles and working methods of the ECHR. Human rights theory and practice are articulated in an enlightening manner in this book. By discussing thoroughly the basic principles governing the Court's work, the effective protection of fundamental rights and subsidiarity, Professor Gerards sets the stage to clarify the two main functions of the European human rights protection system, which aims at providing individual redress to victims of human rights violations and setting European wide, constitutional standards on fundamental rights and freedoms. Furthermore, the structure and typology of the Convention rights are presented on the basis of a careful analysis of the different stages of the Court's Convention review and the possibilities for regulating the exercise of these rights. In a word, this book is a must-read for practitioners as well as scholars.' Paulo Pinto de Alburquerque, Judge of the Court of Human Rights