Seeking to resolve widespread confusion about the activities of the Council of Europe and the European Union, this compelling and meticulously-researched monograph compares and contrasts relevant institutions, procedures, norms and policies.

The authors claim that the successful institutionalization of the human rights missions of the Council of Europe and the EU have contributed significantly to securing minimum standards, though not evenly or unproblematically, across the continent.

The central trends discussed in the book are the institutions’ increasing expansion, complexity, and interpenetration. The main challenges concern how this could, and should, be properly understood and effectively managed, particularly for the UK in the post-Brexit era where relevant components need to be carefully distinguished and disentangled.

Steven Greer has been invited to present the study’s conclusions at the Italian Constitutional Court’s symposium on courts of fundamental rights and political processes in Rome on 20 April. He has also been invited to deliver a public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania on 10 April and conduct a seminar at Harvard Law School on 12 April, accompanied by co-authors Janneke Gerards (University of Utrecht) and Rose Slowe (University of Bristol) on Q&A panels.

The book will be officially launched at a reception to be held at Middle Temple on 30 April.

Pre-publication endorsements:

‘This excellent and important book describes human rights protection in Europe. Crucially, however, it also explains and compares the achievements of the Council of Europe and the EU in the human rights field – this makes it almost unique in its scope. In this way, it will prove an essential guide to the complexities of European human rights law – invaluable to practitioners, scholars and students.’ - Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Anniversary Chair in Law, Queen Mary University of London.

‘The authors present a thought-provoking analysis of the current state of Europe’s system of human rights protection and the challenges facing it. Its originality lies in the fact that it compares in a single book the various human rights standards and mechanisms emanating from the Council of Europe and the European Union.’ - Jörg Polakiewicz, Legal Adviser, Council of Europe.

‘This monograph, one of the first comprehensive book-length studies of Europe’s two principal human rights systems, is a valuable resource for those interested in the broader picture of human rights in Europe. The comparative analysis in the concluding chapter on the institutionalisation of human rights by these two systems, on the achievements and challenges facing each, and on the nature of the relationship between the two, is particularly interesting.’ - Gráinne de Búrca, Florence Ellinwood Allen Professor of Law, New York University Law School.