It might seem odd, amid the domestic political crisis currently engulfing the Labour party, to turn one’s eyes to Chișinău, the capital of Moldova. Yet, today it will host the committee of ministers representing the 46 members of the Council of Europe (a different body to the EU) to discuss the future of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

This pivotal two-day conference is aimed at adopting a political declaration concerning the future of the ECHR. It is focused on addressing challenges related to migration and asylum. Human rights lawyers and NGOs see the process as an attempt to erode universal human rights standards and have opposed it accordingly. Yet for the Labour government, the same conference may be its last realistic chance to deliver meaningful reform while keeping the UK inside the ECHR.

The current process began in May last year, when nine Council of Europe states, led by Denmark and Italy, wrote a letter asking for a discussion about ‘how the international conventions match the challenges that we face today’. They queried whether the European Court of Human Rights has ‘extended the scope of the Convention too far as compared with the original intentions behind’ it. The letter highlighted, amongst other things, the challenge of irregular migration and cases concerning the expulsion of foreign national offenders where:

Politicians across Europe have recognised that the issue of illegal migration resonates with voters

Politicians across Europe have recognised that the issue of illegal migration resonates with voters

The interpretation of the convention has resulted in the protection of the wrong people and posed too........

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