Following the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 1998, the Cologne European Council (3 and 4 June 1999) decided to begin work on drafting a charter of fundamental rights. The aim was that the fundamental rights applicable at Union level should be consolidated in a single document to raise awareness of them. The Charter is based on the Community Treaties, international conventions such as the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights and the 1989 European Social Charter, constitutional traditions common to the Member States and various European Parliament declarations.
The work was entrusted to a special body - which decided to call itself the Convention - made up of sixty-two members including representatives of the governments of the Member States and of the President of the European Commission, and members of the European Parliament and national parliaments. Four representatives of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights were able to participate as observers. The composition, working methods and practical arrangements of the Convention were adopted at the Tampere European Council (15-16 October 1999).
Work began on 17 December 1999. The Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the Ombudsman, the applicant countries and any other any other body, social group or expert were invited to put forward their views. The objective was to reach a consensus. The result of the work was presented at the Biarritz European Council (13-14 October 2000). In its seven chapters divided into 54 articles, the Charter defines fundamental rights relating to dignity, liberty, equality, solidarity, citizenship and justice. It was solemnly proclaimed by the Nice European Council (7-10 December 2000).
The Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) which was concluded at the same European Council was unable to reach agreement on incorporating the Charter in the treaties and thus making it legally binding. However, the Court of Justice of the European Union stated that it wished to use the Charter as a guide in making its judgments. The Laeken European Council gave the European Convention a mandate to look into the question of incorporating the Charter into the existing treaties.
See:
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Citizenship of the Union•
Equal opportunities•
Equal treatment for men and women•
European Convention•
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)•
Human rights•
Laeken Declaration•
Social Charter•
Treaty of Nice
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union consolidates rights contained in Community Treaties, EC Court of Justice case-law, international conventions, constitutional traditions common to the Member States and a range of European Parliament declarations. (See
Fundamental rights:
EU Charter)
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