EU Framework of Law for Children’s Rights

The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the EU situation with respect to the rights of the child. In recent years, the EU has adopted a number of important measures, with the Lisbon Treaty allowing for a major step forward. Article 24 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) is now EU law. At the same time various EU policies and programmes on children’s rights have been introduced, both within and outside the EU. These cover a wide spectrum of issues ranging from antidiscrimination, to health and safety of a child, and countering of child labour, trafficking and prostitution.

This analysis covers the possible effects of the new legal provisions introduced by the Lisbon Treaty regarding the realisation of these rights. In particular, the briefing paper explores which articles of the Lisbon Treaty could provide a legal foundation to adopt further legislative initiatives in favour of the realisation of the rights of the child.