Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Minister of Justice of Italy Andrea Orlando had an exchange of views today at the Palais de l’Europe to discuss current developments and issues of common interest.
The Secretary General and the Minister underlined the excellent co-operation between Italy and the Council of Europe. The meeting focused mainly on judiciary and penitentiary reforms in the country.
Orlando signed with Jagland the new Protocol amending the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (ETS No.222).
Seven countries have signed the Protocol : Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland.
A meeting at the Palais des Droits de l’Homme with the President of the European Court of Human Rights Guido Raimondi was also part of the official programme.
Background
The aim of the Protocol of amendment is to modernise and improve the Additional Protocol (ETS No. 167), taking into account the evolution in international co-operation on the transfer of sentenced persons since its entry into force in June 2000.
This instrument sets out the rules applicable to transfer of the execution of sentences, firstly where sentenced persons have absconded from the sentencing State to their State of nationality, and secondly where they are subject to an expulsion or deportation order as a consequence of their sentence.
It supplements the 1983 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (ETS No. 112), whose main aim is to further the social rehabilitation of sentenced foreign nationals by allowing the sentence to be served in the country of origin. This Convention is founded to a great extent on humanitarian principles, being based on the consideration that communication difficulties, language barriers and deprivation of contact with the family can have adverse effects on foreign prisoners.
