Journal of Danubian Studies and Research, Vol 6, No 2 (2016)

Abstract

In European Community law, the first provisions on human rights and freedoms were stipulated in the text of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, published in Rome, in 1950. However, until 2000, when the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU was published, not only did the number of these human rights and freedoms increase, but also the amount of the principles laid down by the law of the European Union.

A decisive role in this regard was played by the European Council, which, during its meeting in Cologne, on 3-4 June 1999, expressed the desire to write a draft Constitution for the EU, which would provide for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the EU citizens. This was materialized by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, published in Nice in 2000, and then by the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, published in Lisbon in 2007. The latter embodied in its text the rights, freedoms and principles provided by the former, hence its constitutional value for the EU Member States.