The book gives insight into the structures and developments of the
fundamental rights protection in Europe which is effective at the levels
of the national Constitutions, the European Convention of Human Rights
and, for the EU member States of the EU Fundamental Rights Charter. The
contributions of renowned academics from various European countries
demonstrate the functional interconnection of these protection systems
which result in an increasing convergence. Basic questions are
reflected, such as human dignity as foundation of fundamental rights or
positive action as a specific form of equality as well as the concept of
rights convergence. In this latter contribution the forms of direct
reception of a different legal order and of the functional transfer of
principles and concepts are analyzed. Particular reference is made to
the EU Charter, the United Kingdom Human Rights Act as well as to France
and Germany. It becomes obvious how important interpretation is for the
harmonization of national and conventional fundamental rights
protection. Traditional institutional approaches like the dualist
transformation concept in Germany are functionally set aside in the
harmonization process through constitutional interpretation. Specific
studies are dedicated to the field of the EU Fundamental Rights Charter
and to the European impacts on the national fundamental rights
protection in selected countries such as the "new democracies" Poland,
Romania and Kosovo as well as more traditional systems such as Spain,
Italy, the Nordic countries or Turkey.