Human Dignity as the basis of the European Identity: the role of the European Court of Human Rights on the definition of the concept of human dignity

  • Natalia Ochoa Ruiz Camilo José Cela University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-02-2019pp203-224
Keywords: european identity, human dignity, European Court of Human Rights

Abstract

Building the European identity requires identifying and analyzing Europe’s common roots with a view to establishing a common project, based on shared values, principles and objectives. Protection and respect for human dignity stands out among these values. Human dignity is embodied in the main international legal instrument on human rights and bioethics. Although it is not expressly formulated in the European Convention on Human Rights, signed in Rome in 1950, the European Court of Human Rights’ case law has made an important contribution to its recognition and protection. This paper analyzes the ECHR’s case law on human dignity in order to assess the significance of this concept. Given the far-reaching implication of the concept of dignity on the vision and future of the human being itself, we emphasize the need for a calm, in-depth reflection on the matter.

Received: 02 July 2018
Accepted: 10 September 2018
Published online: 27 February 2019

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Author Biography

Natalia Ochoa Ruiz, Camilo José Cela University

Dr. Natalia Ochoa holds a PhD in Law (Complutense University of Madrid). She got a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education. She has been a Lecturer in the European University of Madrid and the University of Zaragoza. She is currently an Associate Professor in Public International Law and Human Rights Law in Camilo José Cela  University of Madrid where she heads the Department of Criminology and Security. She has been awarded a sex-year research period (CNAI). Her chief research areas are international protection of human rights, international law on bioethics, the use of force and international dispute settlement. Her most notable recent publications include: El embrión humano en la jurisprudencia del Tribunal de Estrasburgo: un análisis a la luz de la normativa internacional y europea (Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2017).

Published
2019-02-27
How to Cite
Ochoa Ruiz, Natalia. 2019. “Human Dignity As the Basis of the European Identity: The Role of the European Court of Human Rights on the Definition of the Concept of Human Dignity”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 02 (February), 203-24. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-02-2019pp203-224.
Issue
No. 02 (2019): SPECIAL ISSUE. European identity: roots and scope
Section
Monographic Articles. Scope of European identity. PART 3: «European identity: legal impact»

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