An Axiology of the European Legal Space

Abstract

Law cannot be created without value or based on false values, therefore dealing with the axiology of law is necessary, also in the context of international law. Therefore, it was considered justified to study values and to address the issue of the axiology of law in the analyses of the legal specificity of the European legal space, which was also made an essential objective of these considerations. The framework of the considerations was narrowed down to the European legal area, considering it to be the normative sphere of influence of European international organisations, i.e. the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. With this research area in mind, the concepts that formed the core of the considerations were analysed, namely: the concept of the European Legal Area, the axiology of European law and legal culture. The aim of the analysis is to show that the common values of the law, which the European legal area upholds, determine the direction of legislation, interpretation of legal provisions and the direction of application of law, thus promoting the formation of a coherent legal order in Europe.