Charter of Fundamental Rights

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights was adopted in Nice in December 2000 (Photo: French EU Presidency)

Charter of Fundamental Rights

Fundamental rights now at EU level under the control of the EU Court in Luxembourg. 

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights was adopted in Nice in December 2000 as a political declaration. From 1 December 2009 it has been made formally legally binding under Article 6 TEU of the Lisbon Treaty. A court case from 2013 gives the Charter primacy over national constitutions.

It contains 54 articles mainly collected from the European Convention on Human Rights. They are divided into the following areas: 

 

- Dignity 

 

- Freedoms 

 

- Equality 

 

- Solidarity 

 

- Citizens' Rights 

 

- Justice                     

 

The EU Court said during the Convention that it was willing to take the Charter into account in its judgments, even if it was not made legally binding. The EU Court did refer to the Charter in several cases over the following years. 

 

Notes 

 

-         The Charter was established by a special Convention consisting of 30 representatives from national Parliaments, 16 from the European Parliament, one from the EU Commission, and one from each of the 15 governments. 

-         The amended Charter was solemnly adopted by the heads of the European Parliament, Council and Commission in the European Parliament on 12 December 2007 and was printed in the Official Journal, C 303, on 14 December 2007.   

 

Links 

See also the Convention working group on the Charter    

European Convention http://european-Convention.eu.......nt/docs/sessPlen/00369.en2.PDF

http://ue.eu.int/df/default.asp?lang=en