The Added Value of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: at the Intersection of Legal Systems

Abstract

Twenty years after the adoption of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’), awareness of it is still limited among practitioners, who tend to turn instead to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or their national constitution. At first glance it might seem that they are right, as the Charter's scope is limited and it may be perceived as an instrument for the codification of established law. This raises the question: What is the Charter’s added value for the protection of fundamental rights?