Concerned with the legal framework for protecting and promoting social rights in Europe. This book contains chapters that examine procedural and substantive aspects of the Council of Europe's European Social Charter, and the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the EU's so-called 'acquis' in the area of social rights.

Considers so-called 'neglected rights' such as those relating to health and disability Covers both the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and European Social Charter, two systems rarely considered side by side in the academic literature Situates the debate on social rights in the context of important current events in the EU, including the EU Constitution, the recent Open Method of Coordination, economic globalization, and Europe's increasing international role Contrasts protection of social rights between traditionally democratic and post-communist states

Gráinne de Búrca has been professor of European Union Law at the European University Institute since 1998. Prior to that she was a lecturer in law at Oxford University and fellow of Somerville College from 1990-1998. She has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Toronto, Michigan, Columbia and NYU. Her field of expertise is broadly in EU law, with particular focus on constitutional issues of European integration, EU human rights policy and European and transnational governance. She is co-director of the EUI's Academy of European Law and series co-editor of two OUP book series: Oxford Studies in European Law, and the Collected Courses of the Academy of European Law. She is co-author with Paul Craig of the textbook EU Law, currently in its third edition.; Larissa Ogertschnig is researcher in the Department of Law at the European University Institute where she is currently completing her PhD on EU Democracy Assistance to the states of the former Soviet Union. She holds a law degree from the University of Vienna and a Diploma in International Studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Center. She has worked with governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of university reform in several states of Central Asia and was stagiaire in the Delegation of the European Commission in the Ukraine. Her research interests are in the field of EU external relations, human rights and democratization. Bruno de Witte has been professor of European Union Law at the European University Institute in Florence since 2000. Prior to that he was a professor of EU law at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. He is co-director of the EUI's Academy of European Law and series co-editor of the OUP book series: Collected Courses of the Academy of European Law. His main fields of research are the constitutional law of the European Union and legal issues of cultural diversity, language regulation and minority protection in Europe.

Considers so-called 'neglected rights' such as those relating to health and disability Covers both the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and European Social Charter, two systems rarely considered side by side in the academic literature Situates the debate on social rights in the context of important current events in the EU, including the EU Constitution, the recent Open Method of Coordination, economic globalization, and Europe's increasing international role Contrasts protection of social rights between traditionally democratic and post-communist states