The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union : the 'travaux préparatoires' and selected documents

Abstract

Twenty years after its proclamation and eleven years after it gained legal force, this collection brings together for the first time the complete 'travaux préparatoires' of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The core collection consists of the roughly 5,000 pages of travaux préparatoires from the Convention that drafted the Charter between 1999 and 2000. In addition, it includes some of the key documents forming the roots of the Charter (such as the 1989 European Parliament Declaration) and those showing how its text and primary law framing evolved between 2003 and 2014 (notably in the 2002-3 Future of Europe Convention and 2004 and 2007 Inter-Governmental Conferences which amended the Charter and gave it legal effect). Further, it includes an analytical introduction and full Convention chronology to assist the reader in navigating the material. This compilation will prove a valuable source for scholars and practitioners alike, and ultimately aims to spark a fresh wave of interest in the drafting of the EU’s core rights text.