Press Release: European Commission makes fundamental rights a reality for citizens

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – now in force and legally binding for more than two years – has guided EU law-making from the very first draft all the way through to the statute book. The Charter sets out fundamental rights – such as freedom of expression and the protection of personal data – that reflect Europe’s common values and its constitutional heritage.

The European Commission's second annual report on the Charter finds that fundamental rights concerns are increasingly embedded in EU policy-making. For example, travellers will be entitled to opt out of security scanning at EU airports and be screened using other methods thanks to Commission action to take on board privacy concerns in a new EU law.

The EU Court of Justice increasingly refers to the Charter, notably in landmark decisions on sex discrimination and Internet privacy. The report is part of the Commission's efforts to raise people's awareness of the Charter, when it applies, and the role of EU institutions in the field of fundamental rights.

European Commission: Speech/12/266: Viviane Reding: The binding EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: Key trends two years later http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/12/266&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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