European values

European values are principles commonly associated with Europe, especially human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights.

Human dignity: The principle that every person has inherent worth and must be treated as an end in themselves. It grounds the European commitment to rights and equal respect.
Treaty on European Union: The treaty establishing the European Union and setting out its principal aims, institutions, and governing principles. Article 2 names the Union's foundational values.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A 1948 United Nations declaration setting out a common standard of human rights for all people. Its postwar framework helped shape Europe's language of rights and dignity.
Cultural relativism: The view that beliefs and practices should be understood within their cultural contexts rather than judged by universal standards. It challenges claims that European principles apply universally across cultures.
Subsidiarity: The principle that decisions should be made at the lowest level of government capable of addressing an issue effectively. It raises questions about which level should protect shared principles.
Fundamental rights: Basic legal protections and freedoms recognized as belonging to every person. They translate shared principles into protections individuals can claim.
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: A legally binding catalogue of civil, political, economic, and social rights within EU law. It codifies rights that give several shared values legal form.
European integration: The process of building political and economic cooperation among European states. Shared principles became part of the project of political cooperation after the Second World War.
Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself without subordination to another power. National sovereignty can conflict with external scrutiny of domestic rights and institutions.
Minority rights: Rights that protect people belonging to minority groups from discrimination and suppression of identity or participation. Their protection tests whether equality includes groups with limited political power.

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