At a time when the ongoing European debt crisis is fracturing public faith in the continent's political and economic institutions, one would expect Europe's leaders to strengthen as many unifying symbols as they can.
Instead, they have allowed one of the jewels of post-World War II European integration — the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) — to come under threat as well.
Unlike the Brussels-based European Union, long beleaguered by its democratic deficit, the Strasbourg-based ECHR is, if anything, too well loved. In 2011, more than 60,000 people sought its help — far more than can expect a reasoned decision. (By contrast, the United States Supreme Court receives roughly 10,000 petitions a year.)