Avbelj, Matej --- "Human rights inflation in the European Union" [2018] ELECD 889; in Violini, Lorenza; Baraggia, Antonia (eds), "The Fragmented Landscape of Fundamental Rights Protection in Europe" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018) 7

Book Title: The Fragmented Landscape of Fundamental Rights Protection in Europe

Editor(s): Violini, Lorenza; Baraggia, Antonia

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN: 9781786436047

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Human rights inflation in the European Union

Author(s): Avbelj, Matej

Number of pages: 18

Abstract/Description:

The chapter addresses the phenomenon of human rights inflation in the European Union (EU). It argues that when it comes to human rights protection in the EU, less might be more. The inflationary trend of investing nominally into human rights poses a risk of being self-defeating and should be stopped. Instead, human rights have to be taken seriously in practice by the competent actors on the level closest to where human rights violations actually occur. This requires theoretical, doctrinal and institutional adjustments across the European constitutional space. Some of those are presented in the conclusion of the chapter, while the preceding sections trace how and why the EU embarked on its human rights inflationary route, as well as why exactly this inflation causes harm to the value of human rights protection.