Contributing to enhance the protection of human rights by improving the effectiveness of the control mechanism of the European Convention on Human Rights and the implementation of the Convention at national and European levels is a permanent priority in the work of the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH).

The effective processing and resolution of cases relating to inter-State disputes was one area of work of the Committee of Experts on the System of the European Convention on Human Rights (DH-SYSC), which operates under the authority of CDDH.

In this framework, the Drafting Group DH-SYSC-IV had been working on proposals on how to handle more effectively cases related to inter-State disputes, as well as individual applications arising from situations of conflict between States, without thereby limiting the jurisdiction of the Court, taking into account the specific features of these categories of cases, inter alia regarding the establishment of facts.

DH-SYSC-IV had ten designated member States namely: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland (Chair). The Drafting Group was, as usual, open to the participation of all member States.  

On the basis of the work carried out by DH-SYSC-IV the CDDH adopted the Report on the effective processing and resolution of cases relating to inter-State disputes. What's more, the Declaration by the Committee of Ministers on the effective processing and resolution of cases relating to inter-State disputes was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 5 April 2023 at the 1462nd meeting of the Ministers' Deputies.

Meetings