The Italian Presidency has made the following statement...

The Italian Presidency has made the following statement on behalf of the European Union:
"The European Union welcomes the entry into force on 1 July 2003 of Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.
This Protocol is banning the death penalty in all circumstances, including for crimes committed in times of war and imminent threat of war. No derogation or reservation will be allowed to Protocol No. 13 to the ECHR. As of today, 41 out of the 45 Member States of the Council of Europe have signed the Protocol, which was opened for signature by member states of the Council of Europe a little over a year ago, in Vilnius on 3 May 2002.
The abolition of the death penalty also in respect of acts committed in time of war or of imminent threat of war should be discussed within the wider context of the global trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty.
The EU urges Member States of the Council of Europe, who have not yet done so, to sign Protocol 13 and to ratify Protocol 6 which abolishes the death penalty in times of peace. The EU also expresses the hope that Japan and the United States, who have observatory status to the Council of Europe, will feel encourages to consider steps towards the abolition of the death penalty".
As of today, all fifteen Member States of the EU have signed Protocol 13, but only four have ratified it: Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden.