European Integration Between Fundamental Rights and Common Values

Introduction. Fundamental rights and values as a normative sub-stratum of the social pact between citizens and the EU. The characteristics of the 'common system of values': its contribution to law and relativity. The absence of references to Christian roots. Rights an values as distinct and interdependent normative sets. Respect for the common values, and for the rule of law in particular, as an essential pre-condition for the reciprocal recognitions of sentences by member states. The effectiveness f values. respect for the common values in the activities of European institutions. Final observations.