GENEVA, August 29, 2024 – The Swiss government’s August 28 statement rejecting the European Court of Human Rights’s groundbreaking climate ruling is an embarrassment for Switzerland, according to the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
On April 9, the Court found that Switzerland violated the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to implement sufficient measures to combat climate change.
Switzerland has to produce a detailed report on how it is implementing the verdict by October 9, 2024, when it will submit its arguments to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
But in an initial political indication, the Swiss Federal Council issued a statement criticizing the European Court of Human Rights’ “broad interpretation” of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sébastien Duyck, Campaign Manager for Human Rights and Climate Change and Senior Attorney at CIEL, said:
“The government’s statement rejecting the Klimaseniorinnen judgment threatens to undermine the authority and the core role of the Court in the human rights system – which Switzerland claims to support.
“The Swiss government could have used the Court’s near-unanimous ruling to strengthen its climate policy in accordance with undisputed science. Instead, it doubled down in the defence of its inadequate responses to climate change, refusing to be held accountable. No amount of political posturing can obscure the fact that more urgent and ambitious action is necessary to protect human rights from climate harms.
“The government still has time to correct course before it delivers its report to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers by October 9. It must live up to its commitment to the rule of law and engage constructively with the Court’s authoritative judgment rather than defy it.”
Media Contact:
Niccolò Sarno, CIEL Global Media Relations: press@ciel.org | +41-22-506 80 37
Image: Swiss Federal Palace, Bern. Credit: Pazit Polak. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.