Subjects:

Human Rights and Civil Liberties

Contents:

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Towards an Authentic and Coherent Human Rights Policy for the EU

B. SOME PHILOSOPHICAL DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS POLICIES WITHIN EUROPE

2. Is There a European Approach to Human Rights

3. The Effect of Rights on Political Culture

4. The Legacies of Injustice and Fear: A European Approach to Human Rights and their Effects on Political Culture

C. THE HUMAN RIGHTS CONTEXT WITHIN WHICH THE EUROPEAN UNION FUNCTIONS

5. The Competences of the EU in Human Rights

6. Human Rights in the Context of the Third Pillar

7. Access to Justice as a Human Right: The European Convention and the EU

8. Gender Equality in the EU: A Balance Sheet

9. The Human Rights of People with Disabilities under EU Law

10. The Internal and External 'Other' in the Union Legal order: Racism, religious Intolerance and Xenophobia in Europe

11. Non-Communitarians: Refugees and asylum Policies

12. The Unity and Universality of Human Rights in Light of the Disjointed Nature of EU Law

D. SOCIAL RIGHTS: EUROPEAN UNION PERSPECTIVES

13. We Still have not Found what We Have Been Looking For: The Balance Between Economic Freedom and Social Rights in the EU

14. From Strasbourg to Amsterdam: Prospects for the Convergence of European Social Rights Policy

E. ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

15. Human Rights and European Identity: The Debate about European Citizenship

16. The Future of Environmental Rights in the EU

F. HUMAN RIGHTS IN EXTERNAL RELATIONS

17. Holding Multinational Corporations accountable for Human Rights Abuses: A Challenge for the European Community

18. Human Rights Considerations in the Development co-operation Activities of the EC

19. Where is the EU's Human Rights Common Foreign Policy, and How is it Manifested in Multilateral Fora?

G. HUMAN RIGHTS 'CONDITIONALITY', BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL

20. Human Rights 'Conditionality' in Relation to Entry to, and Full Participation in the EU

21. Trade Preferences and Human Rights

22. Human Rights Clauses in External Agreements of the European Communities

H. THE ROLE OF KEY INSTITUTIONS AND ACTORS

23. Human Rights Case-Law in the Strasbourg and Luxembourg Courts: Conflicts, Inconsistencies and Complementarities

24. New Instruments and Institutions for Enhancing the Protection of Human Rights in Europe?

25. The Role of the European Parliament in the Promotion of Human Rights: Past and Future

26. Reflections on the Role of the Parliament

27. The Role of the Council in Human Rights Matters

28. The Past and Future Role of the European Court of Justice in the Protection of Human Rights

29. Human Rights and Civil Society

For all its achievements in integrating Europe, the EU lacks a human rights policy which is coherent, balanced and professionally administered. Whether in relation to access to Community justice, sex equality, race and disability discrimination, or policing, or in its external policies from Kosovo to China, the Union needs new principles, procedures and institutions to design and implement an effective set of human rights policies.

The introduction of a single currency, the problems of racism and xenophobia, the need for a humane refugee policy, the growing powers of the EU in many fields, and the Unions imminent eastward expansion, all make it urgent to adopt such policies. In this volume the leading experts in the field, including individuals from every EU country, provide an insightful critique of policies and detailed recommendations for the future. The volume includes comprehensive analyses of the competencies of the EU in human rights, access to justice, and the Third Pillar.