Library of the Court

Until 1998 the two Convention bodies were :

the European Commission of Human Rights, created on 18 May 1954, and empowered to decide on the admissibility of applications ("decisions") and to deliver "reports" (to encourage friendly settlements) in respect of applications found admissible; and
the European Court of Human Rights, established on 21 January 1959, which, under certain conditions, could re-examine cases brought before the Commission and deliver "judgments".

On 1 November 1998, with the coming into force of Protocol No. 11, the system of the Court/Commission was abolished and replaced by a Court. It is now the Court alone which examines applications presented under the Convention and its Protocols.

The principal publications of Strasbourg's case-law are :

1. - HUDOC - the official database of the European Court of Human Rights. It contains nearly all decisions and judgments of the Court, the decisions and reports of the Commission and the judgments of the "old" part-time Court. It is a full-text database which can be used free of charge.

http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/search.asp?skin=hudoc-en

2. - Paper publications of the Court's case-law :

* From 1996 to date, the official reference source is "Reports of Judgments and Decisions = Recueil des arrêts et décisions", a bilingual (French/English) publication produced in paperback volumes and, until 1998, also produced in bound cloth books gathering several volumes.

Reports of Judgments and Decisions = Recueil des arrêts et décisions / Council of Europe. Registry of the Court. - Köln ; Berlin ; Bonn ; München : Carl Heymanns Verlag. - Vol. I, 1996 -

* From 1960 to 1996, the judgments were published in "Série A : Arrêts et décisions = Series A : Judgments and Decisions", volume 1 (1960) to 338 (1996). This series was superseded by " Reports of Judgments and Decisions = Recueil des arrêts et décisions".

Série A : Arrêts et décisions = Series A : Judgments and Decisions / Conseil de l'Europe. Greffe de la Cour. - Köln ; Berlin ; Bonn ; München : Carl Heymanns Verlag. - Vol. 1-338

* From 1960 to 1987 there also was another publication, "Série B : Mémoires, plaidoiries et documents = Series B : Pleadings, Oral Arguments and Documents", volume 1, 1960-1961 (1961) to 104, 1985-1988 (1995) containing the pleadings, oral arguments, etc., in cases brought before the Court.

Série B : Mémoires, plaidoiries et documents = Series B : Pleadings, Oral Arguments and Documents. - Köln ; Berlin ; Bonn ; München : Carl Heymanns Verlag. - Vol. 1-104

3. - Paper publications of the European Commission of Human Rights :

* From 1960 to 1974 the Commission published its decisions in 46 brochures making up the "Collection of Decisions of the European Commission on Human Rights = Recueil des décisions de la Commission européenne des Droits de l'Homme".

Collection of Decisions of the European Commission on Human Rights = Recueil des décisions de la Commission européenne des Droits de l'Homme / Council of Europe. European Commission on Human Rights. - Vol. 1-46

* From 1975 to 1998, the decisions and reports of the Commission were published in "Decisions and Reports = Décisions et rapports", (94 instalments). Five indexes provide various possibilities of access, including by the number of the application.

Decisions and Reports = Décisions et rapports / Council of Europe. European Commission on Human Rights. - Vol. 1-94B

4. - Other sources :

* Part 2 of the "Yearbook of the European Convention on Human Rights = Annuaire de la Convention européenne des Droits de l'Homme" contains selected documents and statistical information on the Court. The first volume of this series appeared under a different title : "European Commission of Human Rights = Commission européenne des Droits de l'Homme : Documents and / et décisions", and covered activities from 1955 to 1957.

Yearbook of the European Convention on Human Rights = Annuaire de la Convention européenne des Droits de l'Homme / Council of Europe. - The Hague ; Boston ; London : Nijhoff. - Vol. 1-44

* The "Recueil des résolutions du Comité des Ministres adoptées en application des articles 32 et 54 de la Convention européenne des Droits de l'Homme" contains the decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers in application of Articles 32 and 54 of the Convention. Six supplements were published by the Council of Europe up until 2000 : 1900-1991 ; 1992 ; 1993 ; 1994 ; 1994 ; 1996 ; 1997.

Recueil des résolutions du Comité des Ministres adoptées en application des articles 32 et 54 de la Convention européenne des Droits de l'Homme / [Conseil de l'Europe]. Direction générale des droits de l'homme. - Strasbourg : Conseil de l'Europe

* Activity reports - information and statistics
* Case-law information notes - statistics and summaries of judgments
* Human Rights Information Bulletin - recent developments in human rights activities at the Council of Europe, including judgments.