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THE EXPLOITATION OF LABOUR AND THE EUROPEAN VALUES
on the Suspension of certain rights resulting from Union membership; also, the
same can be found in Part II Ihe Charter of Fundamental Rights of Ihe Union
Preamble of the draft, which says that “The peoples of Europe, in creating an ever
closer union among them, are resolved to share a peaceful future based on common
values”. The text then continues:
“Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union is founded on the indivisible,
universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on the
principles of democracy and the rule of law. It places the individual at the heart of
its activities, by establishing the citizenship of the Union and by creating an area of
freedom, security and justice.
The Union contributes to the preservation and to the development of these common
values while respecting the diversity of the cultures and traditions of the peoples of
Europe as well as the national identities of the Member States and the organisation
of their public authorities at national, regional and local levels; it seeks to promote
balanced and sustainable development and ensures free movement of persons, services,
goods and capital, and the freedom of establishment.
To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights
in the light of changes in society, social progress and scientific and technological
developments by making those rights more visible in a Charter.”
Section 2 of Article III-292 of the draft under TITLE V regulating The Union’s
External Action stresses specifically that “the Union shall define and pursue common
policies and actions, and shall work for a high degree of cooperation in all fields of
international relations, in order to:
(a) safeguard its values, fundamental interests, security, independence and
integrity;
(b) consolidate and support democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the
principles of
international law...”
Among the statements on the decrees of the Constitution, statement 12 on the
explanations appended to the Charter of Fundamental Rights gives voice to the
commonly held European values, which, in effect, repeats the principles laid down
in the Charter.
The above quotations used as examples clearly define the principles that the
member states of the European Union have to (or at least should) follow and the
principles that the Member States of the European Union fail to uphold both
individually and taken as a whole as well because although their values and
interests might as well be the same in the long term they are different in the short
term. Consequently, their short-term interests often overrule their short-term
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