Fundamental Freedoms and Rights in Contemporary Europe

Abstract

Regulation of individual freedoms and rights in constitutions and treaties take into account, both in the catalogue of such rights and freedoms and specific provisions concerning them, norms of international law and customs binding on European countries, as well as constitutional standards existing in democratic states and Member-states of EU. As there is a multitude of concepts of human rights and liberties, it is reasonable in this article to restrict the discussion only to these which in the past substantially influenced or are currently influencing normative regulations concerning individual rights, focusing solely on their most fundamental assumptions. The discussed concepts were: legal-natural, liberal, concepts typical of the so-called social state ruled by law. The common values and the EU law implementing them stimulate the identification of citizens of EU member states with the Union as a whole. This serves the purpose of increasing their interest in public life. For the purpose of implementing this task it is important that European integration is in its form and content an expression of a broad social consensus, a result of compromise between various social groups and political powers. From this perspective it may be observed that the Union strives to implement these objectives and that the proposals of differentiating the rate of integration within two-speed Europe or unjustified criticism of new EU members wishing to voice their views have become the thing of the past.