1.3. The European Convention on Human Rights

The boards of appeal and the Enlarged Board act as judicial bodies and apply general principles of procedural law (G 2/08 of 15 June 2009 date: 2009-06-15)

It is established case law of the Enlarged Board that the EPC, which was signed by contracting parties to the ECHR, must be applied in a way which supports the fundamental principles of Art. 6(1) ECHR (G 1/05, OJ 2007, 362; G 2/08 of 15 June 2009 date: 2009-06-15; R 9/12 of 25 April 2014 date: 2014-04-25; R 8/13 of 20 March 2015 date: 2015-03-20). The principle of equal treatment and the right of parties to a fair trial enshrined in Art. 6(1) ECHR are to be observed in all proceedings before the EPO (R 19/12 of 25 April 2014 date: 2014-04-25, R 2/14 of 17 February 2015 date: 2015-02-17 (see also D 11/91). The boards of appeal are thus obliged to decide the individual cases pending before them according to uniformly applied criteria and not in an arbitrary manner (G 1/05, OJ 2007, 362). See also chapter III.H.7 "The European Convention on Human Rights".