"Same Legal Value as the Treaties"? Rank, Primacy, and Direct Effects of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Abstract

Article 6 of the TEU states that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights "shall have the same legal value as the Treaties." This Article investigates the Charter's real status in the EU legal order. To this end, the Charter's force will be analyzed relative to EU institutions, the Member States, and individuals. The resulting picture will enable consideration of the Charter's place in the EU hierarchy of norms, as well as the question of its primacy and direct effect.