45. The European Social Charter

Abstract

As a complement to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that protects civil and political rights, the European Social Charter (ESC) protects the fundamental social and economic rights of the Parties citizens. The Charter is a human rights treaty which proclaims a number of rights and provides for a monitoring mechanism to ensure their proper implementation. The rights guaranteed by the Charter concern individuals in their daily lives and cover wide range of issues not only linked to work or professional life. The Revised Charter updated and enlarged these rights in the following areas: housing, health, education, legal and social protection, and non-discrimination. The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly has made two different proposals for future reform: firstly, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) could be transformed into a European Court of Social Rights; secondly, the rights embodied in the Social Charter could be inserted into the ECHR. Keywords: European committee of social rights (ECSR); European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR); European Social Charter (ESC); monitoring mechanism