EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

An instrument which enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union (EU) citizens and residents into EU law.

The EU Charter on Fundamental Rights was given legal effect by Article 6(1) of the Treaty of the European Union (the Lisbon Treaty). It contains a range of rights, some of which are similar those in the European Convention on Human Rights, and others which go beyond the scope of the ECHR including the right to health care (Article 35), access to services (Article 36) and social security (Article 34).

According to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, human rights aspect of EU law is only binding on EU member states when their actions engage EU law.1

Following Brexit, the Charter does no longer apply in the UK.