The political head of the body that oversees the European Convention on Human Rights has told the BBC that it is "absolutely ready" to discuss reforms amid pressure from the UK and other countries over migration.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, predicted that quitting international human rights law would leave the UK "isolated" on the world stage.
He acknowledged human rights laws may need to "change or adapt" and the institutions, whose creation was largely led by the British after World War Two, remained crucial to peace, security and justice.
Berset's words - ahead of the Convention's 75th anniversary - are the most public confirmation that the body could evolve amid mounting debate over its future across the continent. It is also public recognition that it has to talk to the UK about its future - and about potential change.
The council, which is unrelated to the European Union, is the international political body in Strasbourg that oversees and enforces the work of the European Court of Human Rights.
