The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) enshrines the fundamental rights people enjoy in the European Union (EU). It was introduced to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights established at different times and in different ways in individual EU Member States, in the EU Treaties and universal values and principles. It is a modern and comprehensive instrument protecting and promoting people’s rights and freedoms in the light of changes in society, social progress and scientific and technological developments.
Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) provides that “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”.
The Charter applies in conjunction with national and international fundamental rights protection systems, including the Council of Europe European Convention on Human Rights.
The Charter has become legally binding on the EU (and EU Member States when implementing EU law) with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, in December 2009. Moreover, it has the same legal value as the TEU and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
On 2 December 2020 the Commission presented a new Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU.
To ensure that the Charter becomes a reality for all, the strategy sets out the direction of the Charter implementation for the next 10 years.
The strategy focuses on four pillars:
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) provides independent advice to EU institutions and Member States on the rights set out in the Charter. FRA also engages in legal and social science research to identify areas in the EU where further work needs to be done to meet international standards.