Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights

Only the English and French versions of the Protocol are authentic.

Signature, Ratification, Entry into force, Declarations, Denunciations, Territorial application: notificatons, Communications

Albania 26/05/2003 26/11/2004 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Andorra 31/05/2007 06/05/2008 01/09/2008 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Armenia 18/06/2004 17/12/2004 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Austria 04/11/2000 no no
Azerbaijan 12/11/2003 no no
Belgium 04/11/2000 no no
Bosnia and Herzegovina 24/04/2002 29/07/2003 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Bulgaria no no no
Croatia 06/03/2002 03/02/2003 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Cyprus 04/11/2000 30/04/2002 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Czechia 04/11/2000 no no
Denmark no no no
Estonia 04/11/2000 no no
Finland 04/11/2000 17/12/2004 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
France no no no
Georgia 04/11/2000 15/06/2001 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Germany 04/11/2000 no no
Greece 04/11/2000 no no
Hungary 04/11/2000 no no
Iceland 04/11/2000 no no
Ireland 04/11/2000 no no
Italy 04/11/2000 no no
Latvia 04/11/2000 no no
Liechtenstein 04/11/2000 no no
Lithuania no no no
Luxembourg 04/11/2000 21/03/2006 01/07/2006 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Malta 08/12/2015 08/12/2015 01/04/2016 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Monaco no no no
Montenegro 03/04/20031 03/03/20041 06/06/2006 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Netherlands 04/11/2000 28/07/2004 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
North Macedonia 04/11/2000 13/07/2004 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Norway 15/01/2003 no no
Poland no no no
Portugal 04/11/2000 16/01/2017 01/05/2017 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Moldova 04/11/2000 no no
Romania 04/11/2000 17/07/2006 01/11/2006 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Russia 04/11/20002 no no
San Marino 04/11/2000 25/04/2003 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Serbia 03/04/20031 03/03/20041 01/04/2005 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Slovakia 04/11/2000 no no
Slovenia 07/03/2001 07/07/2010 01/11/2010 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Spain 04/10/2005 13/02/2008 01/06/2008 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
Sweden no no no
Switzerland no no no
Turkey 18/04/2001 no no
Ukraine 04/11/2000 27/03/2006 01/07/2006 [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre] [eng] [fre]
United Kingdom no no no

1 Dates of signature and ratification by the state union of Serbia and Montenegro.

2 In accordance with Resolution CM/Res(2022)3 adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 23/03/2022, the Russian Federation ceases to be a Party to Treaty ETS No. 5 on 16/09/2022. Accordingly, the Russian Federation ceases to be a Signatory to the Protocol also on 16/09/2022.

ETS (STE) No. 177

Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Rome, 4.XI.2000

Preamble

The member States of the Council of Europe, signatory hereto,

Having regard to the fundamental principle according to which all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law;

Being resolved to take further steps to promote the equality of all persons through the collective enforcement of a general prohibition of discrimination by means of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms signed at Rome on 4 November 1950 (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”);

Reaffirming that the principle of non-discrimination does not prevent States Parties from taking measures in order to promote full and effective equality, provided that there is an objective and reasonable justification for those measures,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1
General prohibition of discrimination

1. The enjoyment of any right set forth by law shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.

2. No one shall be discriminated against by any public authority on any ground such as those mentioned in paragraph 1.

Article 2
Territorial application

1. Any State may, at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, specify the territory or territories to which this Protocol shall apply.

2. Any State may at any later date, by a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, extend the application of this Protocol to any other territory specified in the declaration. In respect of such territory the Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of receipt by the Secretary General of such declaration.

3. Any declaration made under the two preceding paragraphs may, in respect of any territory specified in such declaration, be withdrawn or modified by a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The withdrawal or modification shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of receipt of such notification by the Secretary General.

4. A declaration made in accordance with this Article shall be deemed to have been made in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 56 of the Convention.

5. Any State which has made a declaration in accordance with paragraph 1 or 2 of this Article may at any time thereafter declare on behalf of one or more of the territories to which the declaration relates that it accepts the competence of the Court to receive applications from individuals, non-governmental organisations or groups of individuals as provided by Article 34 of the Convention in respect of Article 1 of this Protocol.

Article 3
Relationship to the Convention

As between the States Parties, the provisions of Articles 1 and 2 of this Protocol shall be regarded as additional Articles to the Convention, and all the provisions of the Convention shall apply accordingly.

Article 4
Signature and ratification

This Protocol shall be open for signature by member States of the Council of Europe which have signed the Convention. It is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. A member State of the Council of Europe may not ratify, accept or approve this Protocol without previously or simultaneously ratifying the Convention. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Article 5
Entry into force

1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which ten member States of the Council of Europe have expressed their consent to be bound by the Protocol in accordance with the provisions of Article 4.

2. In respect of any member State which subsequently expresses its consent to be bound by it, the Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of the deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.

Article 6
Depositary functions

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify all the member States of the Council of Europe of:

(a) any signature;

(b) the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval;

(c) any date of entry into force of this Protocol in accordance with Articles 2 and 5;

(d) any other act, notification or communication relating to this Protocol.

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Protocol.

Done at Rome, this 4th day of November 2000, in English and in French, both texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Council of Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit certified copies to each member State of the Council of Europe.