The EU charter of fundamental rights

Waste of time or waste of opportunity

K D Ewing, Institute of Employment Rights, 177 Abbeville Road, London SW4 9RL, 58 pages, paperback, £6.50

The EU charter of fundamental rights was "solemnly proclaimed" by all the heads of government of the European Union at a meeting in December 2000. But, as this publication notes, "it is a charter which teases and mocks, but does not yet deliver anything of substance".

In this analysis of the charter and its potential for improving workers' rights, Ewing states that the only positive way forward is for the charter to be incorporated into EU legal treaties and to be legally enforceable. He believes that the charter also needs to be binding on all EU institutions, member states and employers who operate within EU boundaries. The booklet, in addition to thoroughly analysing the charter itself, contains useful information on the protection of social rights in the different EU states.