Fundamental Rights as the Basis for Democracy in Europe

The protection of fundamental rights and democratic participation are two important pillars of legitimacy of political sovereignty. The preamble of the European Convention on Human Rights itself confirms the existence of a mutual interdependence between democracy on the one hand and human rights on the other. This contribution aims to discuss the two main aspects of this relationship: the importance of fundamental rights for securing democracy and freedom as well as democracy as a basis for fundamental freedoms. It further analyses the role of European and international law as well as constitutional courts in protecting fundamental rights and democracy

Multikulturalität und Grundrechte - am Beispiel der Religionsfreiheit

Hellermann J. Multikulturalität und Grundrechte - am Beispiel der Religionsfreiheit. In: Grabenwarter C, ed. Allgemeinheit der Grundrechte und Vielfalt der Gesellschaft: 34. Tagung der Wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter der Fachrichtung "Öffentliches Recht". Stuttgart [u.a.]: Boorberg; 1994: 129-144

Constitutional Resilience

Resilience of a body in general describes the ability to cope with an attack on its immune system. What is undisputed in psychology or biology is also valid for legal bodies, in particular for states. The term “constitutional resilience” obviously refers to the abilities of constitutions to cope with attacks and in the end to cope with a real crisis. In searching for answers on what constitutional resilience is, this article asks three questions: Where are the vulnerable parts of a democratic state governed by the rule of law? How can one protect the vulnerability of the state or some of its features? If vulnerable parts of a Constitution are properly protected – are the democratic state and its constitution safe? </p