The most comprehensive and critical analysis of the application of European consensus by the European Court of Human Rights.

Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Surrey and a visiting professor at the European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania.

1. Introduction; 2. The concept of European consensus; 3. Types of consensus; 4. Behind the scenes: comparative analysis within the Court; 5. Criticism of European consensus; 6. Legitimacy of the Court and legitimacy of its judgments; 7. European consensus: perceptions of the ECtHR judges; 8. Conclusion.