The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area 101 Article 7 – Entry into force 1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which ten member States of the Council of Europe have expressed their consent to be bound by the Protocol in accordance with the provisions of Article 6. 2. In respect of any member State which subsequently expresses its consent to be bound by it, the Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date of the deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval. Article 8 – Depositary functions The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify all the member States of the Council of Europe of: a. any signature; b. the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval; c. any date of entry into force of this Protocol in accordance with Articles 4 and 7; d. any other act, notification or communication relating to this Protocol. EUROPEAN UNION Extract from the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union Article 2 Right to Life 1. Everyone has the right to life. 2. No one shall be condemned to the death penalty, or executed. Guidelines on EU Policy Towards Third Countries on the Death Penalty (extracts) III Minimum standards paper Where states insist on maintaining the death penalty, the EU considers it important that the following minimum standards should be met: (i) Capital punishment may be imposed only for the most serious crimes, it being understood that their scope should not go beyond intentional crimes with