Tolerance and european legal values

Abstract

The article carries out the theoretical and legal analysis of European values. It is emphasized that European values are today the basis of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Among the main of them are: respect for human dignity, fundamental rights and freedoms, democracy, equality, rule of law, tolerance, justice. Together, they are a civilizational identifier of «European identity» and constitute the modern civilizational paradigm of Europe. The main emphasis of the article is on the study of the essence and content of tolerance as one of the main European values. The analysis of scientific positions of specialists of different scientific knowledge allowed to consider tolerance as a universal value that correlates with the legal principle of equality, which embodies the idea of positive perception of otherness and finds its practical expression in tolerance, self-control, non-discrimination. The analysis of universal and regional international legal acts, which became the basis for the formation of the European system of protection of human rights and freedoms in general, including the foundations of the principle of tolerance. It is concluded that Ukraine needs to address the issue of tolerance of «otherness» in various areas, which necessitates the development of its own concept of tolerance, the formation of such legal bases that would ensure individual human rights and freedoms both legislatively and establish effective mechanisms to prevent any – what manifestations of discrimination, xenophobia, various kinds of intolerance. Key words: human rights, legal values, liberal-democratic values, discrimination, tolerance.