EU fundamental rights and national legislation

17 Feb 2016 12:10 PM

How does the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights specifically impact the legislation of individual member states?

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union sets out the most important rights of EU citizens. The Charter is legally binding on EU institutions and bodies. Member states must also respect fundamental rights when they implement EU law.

Fundamental rights in practice

When does the Charter apply to the member states? And what instruments can they use to examine whether their national legislation is compatible with it? These are the main questions that will be addressed at a seminar hosted by the Netherlands, as EU Presidency holder, in Amsterdam on Friday 19 February.

Sharing experiences and solutions

At the seminar, over a hundred experts from EU member states and institutions will share their experiences and solutions. The speakers will be the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Ronald Plasterk, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jouravá, and Professor Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).