This Protocol aims at increasing the ECtHR efficiency. It is agreed that the procedures set forth in Protocol 14-bis will be used until Protocol 14 is in force.

It should be mentioned that the

Russian Federation is the only CE member state that has not ratified Protocol 14, and it cannot enter into force because this requires consent of all countries.

Protocol 14-bis, inter alia, provides for a simplified case-processing mechanism in the Strasbourg Court. Now, manifestedly ill-founded applications can be rendered inadmissible by one judge only instead of three. Decisions on the merits of the case can now be taken by three judges instead of seven. It is expected, that these changes will allow the European Court which is overloaded to improve its efficiency significantly. We would like to remind you that at the moment there are more than 30 thousand applications from Russia pending trial in the European Court and each day this figure increases dramatically.

At present Protocol 14-bis has been ratified by seven states (Denmark, Georgia, Iceland, Ireland, Monaco, Norway and Slovenia), another seven states have signed it (Austria, France, Luxemburg, Romania, San-Marino, Spain and Macedonia). Besides, nine countries are using Protocol 14-bis upon signing a unilateral declaration (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, etc.).   

Since July 1 this year the European Court has delivered 727 judgments using the new system (for example, 369 decisions against Germany, 131 – against the UK, 82 – against Switzerland).