Viewpoint: EU won’t rule by Charter

The EU's Lisbon Treaty comes into force on 1 December 2009 - and with it the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The UK, Czech Republic and Poland have negotiated opt-outs from the Charter.

But here Damian Chalmers, Professor of EU Law at the London School of Economics (LSE), argues that the Charter repackages EU law that is already applied by the 27-nation bloc.

European Commission: DH Justice and Home Affairs: The Charter of Fundamental Rights http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/unit/charte/index_en.html

European Parliament: The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/default_en.htm

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