Published
1997-03-30
Keywords
- European law,
- Council of Europe,
- international treaty,
- legal culture
Abstract
The essential features of European legal culture: personalism, legalism and intellectualism are emphatically expressed in the Council of Europe’s treaty acquis. Thus, the Romano-Germanic tradition of the culture in question was clearly marked in this output. In addressing the issue of personalism, it must be stated that the relevant Council of Europe treaties set the highest standard in the world for the protection of human rights, freedoms and the satisfaction of needs.
In turn, legalism is primarily expressed in the form of the establishment of appropriate mechanisms for the control and supervision of the implementation of Council of Europe treaties. These mechanisms are widespread, effective and sometimes far-reaching. It must be added, however, that the recent admission of Ukraine and Russia to the Council of Europe and the imminent admission of Croatia, countries that are clearly unable to meet all the standards set by the organisation’s Statute and by many of its important treaties, may lead to the erosion of legalism – a valuable and established feature of European legal culture. In this context, the expectations of promoting the core values of the Council of Europe treaties in certain Eastern European countries may prove illusory.
According to the beliefs of proponents of the law of nature, positive law can only be treated as law if it “withstands the test of moral valuation”. It has to be said that certainly the Council of Europe treaties withstand such a probe.
Referring to the reasons for the above-mentioned threats to legalism as a feature of European legal culture, it is necessary to reflect on the possibility that a new feature of European legal culture may exist – in an as yet embryonic form – namely a kind of “civilising mission” of European law towards certain Eastern European states. Such a civilising mission, on a political level, seems to have been fulfilled previously within the framework of the organisation (formerly the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) and it is not excluded that it will be fulfilled to some extent by other European organisations.
If the perspective outlined above were to be reflected in practice, one would have to speak of legalism moderated by a civilising mission, as one of the features of today’s future European legal culture.
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