Page "European Court of Human Rights" Paragraph 20

The court's interpretation of the Convention's reach is at times subject to criticism as either too narrow or too wide.

For instance, the former judge in respect of Cyprus, Loukis Loucaides, criticised the Court for a " reluctance to find violations in sensitive matters affecting the interests of the respondent States ".

On the other hand, the British Law Lord, Lord Hoffmann argued in 2009 that the Court has not taken the doctrine of the margin of appreciation far enough, being " unable to resist the temptation to aggrandise its jurisdiction and to impose uniform rules on Member States.

It considers itself the equivalent of the Supreme Court of the United States, laying down a federal law of Europe ".

Lord Hoffman considered that that the ability of the court to interfere in the detail of domestic law ought to be curtailed.

He was joined in the criticism by the president of the Belgian Constitutional Court, Marc Bossuyt.