Democracy and human rights : the institutional puzzle of greater Europe

Abstract

The European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have all played leading roles in the consolidation of democracy, human rights and the rule of law after the end of the Cold War. Together they constitute an elementary system that for 15 years has spread the values of Western Europe to the rest of the continent. They have capitalized on the allure of membership to set conditions for continuous observance of their standards through a mechanism of political and judicial monitoring. The system has indeed promoted harmonization of the legal prerequisites of European integration and has contributed to the political stability of Greater Europe. However, it faces today at least three major challenges: Overlapping responsibilities, its irrelevance to the needs of "small Europe"(especially after the failure of the European Constitution project and the mounting obstacles that the European Court of Human Rights faces in meeting the increasing demands for adjudication.