Human Rights in the Council of Europe and the European Union
Achievements, Trends and Challenges

Critically examines the human rights activities of the Council of Europe and the European Union at a time of uncertainty and change.

Steven Greer (Author), Janneke Gerards (Author), Rose Slowe (Author)

9781107025509, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 March 2018

554 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 3.2 cm, 0.89 kg

'This excellent and important book describes human rights protection in Europe. Crucially, however, it also explains and compares the achievements of the Council of Europe and the EU in the human rights field - this makes it almost unique in its scope. In this way, it will prove an essential guide to the complexities of European human rights law - invaluable to practitioners, scholars and students.' Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Anniversary Chair in Law, Queen Mary University of London

Confusion about the differences between the Council of Europe (the parent body of the European Court of Human Rights) and the European Union is commonplace amongst the general public. It even affects some lawyers, jurists, social scientists and students. This book will enable the reader to distinguish clearly between those human rights norms which originate in the Council of Europe and those which derive from the EU, vital for anyone interested in human rights in Europe and in the UK as it prepares to leave the EU. The main achievements of relevant institutions include securing minimum standards across the continent as they deal with increasing expansion, complexity, multidimensionality, and interpenetration of their human rights activities. The authors also identify the central challenges, particularly for the UK in the post-Brexit era, where the components of each system need to be carefully distinguished and disentangled.

Preface
1. Historical and conceptual background
2. The Council of Europe
3. The case law of the European Court of Human Rights
4. The European Union
5. The fundamental rights jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice
6. Summary and conclusion.

Subject Areas: Human rights & civil liberties law [LNDC], Human rights [JPVH], EU & European institutions [JPSN2]