The Council of Europe on Saturday urged European governments not to undermine the European Convention on Human Rights, after Denmark and eight other EU states urged a rethink of the accord, especially on migration.

“As we face today’s complex challenges, our task is not to weaken the convention, but to keep it strong and relevant,” said Alain Berset, secretary general of the 46-member Council of Europe.

The legal arm of the Council of Europe is the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the body that enforces the convention, which is a legally-binding treaty between the member states.

The Council of Europe is not part of the EU and members include key non-EU European states such as Turkey, the UK and Ukraine. Russia was expelled in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

The nine countries, which also include Italy and Poland, said they want “a new and open-minded conversation about the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights”.

“We have to restore the right balance,” the signatories said.

Berset said that while debate is “healthy” the ECHR must not be “weaponised” by governments.

“Institutions that protect fundamental rights cannot bend to political cycles. If they do, we risk eroding the very stability they were built to ensure,” he said.

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He noted that the ECHR is currently the only international court adjudicating violations of human rights after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This should never be undermined,” he said.

The letter urging a review was made public following a meeting in Rome between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, both of whom have taken a hardline stance on migration.

It was also signed by the leaders of Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic.

ECHR rulings on migration issues have irked several European governments in recent years, including emergency injunctions that on occasion blocked deportations at the last minute.

The ECHR has recently heard cases against Latvia, Lithuania and Poland concerning alleged unlawful treatment of migrants, while Denmark was told to amend its family reunification rules.

The court has also issued multiple judgements against Italy over its treatment of migrants.

While not a signatory to the letter, Britain under the previous Conservative government saw its scheme to deport migrants to Rwanda run afoul of the ECHR.

The court’s dramatic June 2022 interim measure — described by critics as a “pyjama injunction” due to the 11th hour nature — prevented what was supposed to be the first deportation flight of migrants from the UK to Rwanda.