Towards the Definitive Status of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: Political Document or Legally Binding Text?

Abstract

At the Nice summit in December 2000, we witnessed the solemn proclamation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which can be seen as the remarkable product of a revolutionary process. The Convention that drafted the Charter had adopted the approach ‘as if’ it were to be incorporated into the European Treaties. However, the question as to the final status of the Charter had not yet been decided when it was proclaimed. Instead, the issue was placed on the post-Nice and post-Laeken agenda and is currently being discussed in the Convention on the future of Europe.