On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day on 10 December, Giuseppe Palmisano, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, has once again underlined that social and economic rights are linked to civil and political rights:
“The social and economic rights guaranteed by the European Social Charter are intrinsically linked with the civil and political rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. In Europe today, there is an urgent need not only to underline the importance of these rights but, above all, to avoid a narrow approach under which only some are seen as human rights.”
The above is reflected in the principles of universality, indivisibility and interdependence of fundamental rights already set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and solemnly reiterated in the 1993 Vienna Declaration and again in the context of the Turin Process for the European Social Charter.
“That would undermine the effectiveness of all fundamental rights. How can political rights be exercised without effective access to health? That is the whole point of the work of the European Committee of Social Rights, which supervises Council of Europe member states’ respect for social and economic rights,” said Giuseppe Palmisano.
The rights to housing, good working conditions, social protection, education, health, high-quality social services, the protection of migrant workers and protection against poverty and social exclusion are all rights covered by the European Social Charter.
“These rights are a burning issue, they are part of Europe’s DNA and their implementation is one of the solutions to the challenges facing societies in Europe today,” said the President of the European Committee of Social Rights in conclusion.
The new European Social Charter website
Website of the European Social Charter
