Provided for under the Treaty of Lisbon, the accession of the European Union

to the European Convention on Human Rights is destined to be a landmark in European

legal history because it will finally make it possible for individuals and undertakings

to apply to the European Court of Human Rights for review of the acts of European

Union institutions, which unquestionably play an increasingly important role in our

daily lives. After nearly three years of negotiations, a draft agreement of European

Union accession was adopted on 5 April 2013. In the light of the draft agreement,

this publication offers a concise analysis of the reasons for European Union accession

to the Convention, the means by which this is to be achieved and the effects it will have.