Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2007)
Dr Alex Christoyannopoulos
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (sometimes called the European Constitution or Constitutional Treaty) was signed in October 2004 by the then 25 members of the European Union (EU). It was intended to consolidate previous EU treaties, help foster a stronger European identity for the citizens of the EU, and give legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Treaty had been ratified by 18 member states (including by referendum in Spain and Luxembourg) when it was rejected by referenda in France (55% against) and the Netherlands (61% against) in May and June 2005 respectively – and before the United Kingdom could hold its own expected referendum on it.
Then followed a “period of reflection” which eventually led to a new treaty. The Lisbon Treaty, which legally provided much of what the previously-rejected treaty had been intended to provide, but with less emphasis on fostering a sense of identity among European citizens, was signed in December 2007, fully ratified by November 2009, and entered into force in December 2009. The Charter of Fundamental Rights entered into force along with the Lisbon Treaty.
This “Mini-Book” was produced by the European Commission as part of its campaign to help raise awareness of the Charter among EU citizens, who might in turn therefore support efforts to give it legally binding force as part of the Lisbon Treaty process. It was published in 2007 in the lead up to the signing of that Treaty. Copies were made in every EU language.
The Charter no longer applies in the UK since Brexit, although the Human Rights Act 1998, which translated and applied to UK law the (different) European Convention on Human Rights, still has legal force at the time of writing (May 2023).