Rights and Their Limits: The Constitution for Europe in International and Comparative Legal Perspective

Abstract

Introduction ....................................................... 224 I. The Constitution for Europe ................................ 226 II. Rights and Their Limits: An Overview ...................... 228 III. National Traditions: Limitations on Rights in Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence ..................................... 231 A. The United States Constitution and the Jurisprudence of the Suprem e Court ........................................ 231 B. German Basic Law and the Jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court .................................... 234 IV. International Prescriptions .................................. 242 A. Universal Parameters: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights .................................... 242 B. The Regional Prototype: Limitations Upon Rights Under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ................................. 248 V. Fundamental Rights in European Union Law and the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice ............... 261 VI. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Constitution for Europe: Its Rights and Limitations .......................... 265 A. Rights Under the Charter ............................... 266 B. Limitations Upon Rights of the Charter .................. 268 C. The Role of the European Court of Justice ............... 278 V II. Conclusion ................................................ 279