Book Review: Human Dignity and Democracy in Europe. Synergies, Tensions and Crises by Daniel Bedford, Catherine Dupré, Gábor Halmai and Panos Kapotas (eds)
| Published date | 01 March 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13882627231224664 |
| Author | Irena Ewa Lipowicz |
| Date | 01 March 2024 |
Daniel Bedford, Catherine Dupré, Gábor Halmai and Panos Kapotas (eds), Human Dignity and Democracy in
Europe. Synergies, Tensions and Crises, Chentelham: E.Elgar, 2022, 288 pp.: ISBN 9-781789-9028-46. £25
(ebook), £100 (hardcover)
Reviewed by: Irena Ewa Lipowicz ,Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Poland
DOI: 10.1177/13882627231224664
The book ‘Human Dignity and Democracy in Europe. Synergies, Tensions and Crises’deals com-
petently with a socially relevant and topical subject. The target group are scholars, students, but also
all persons interested in the future of Europe.
Erin Daly makes a strong case for an extended understanding of the principle of human dignity,
ensuring that human dignity is respected, strengthens democratic participation and protects judges
from the charge of activism. Catherine Dupré, writing about human dignity and democracy in
Europe, points out how much the very construction of ‘Europe’, in the form of the European insti-
tutions, is closely linked to democracy as a type of political system. Today, the revitalised discus-
sion on populism has shown the fragility of our democracy.
Human dignity has admittedly not been codified. The authors point out that, despite its import-
ance, human dignity seems almost ‘invisible’in the current discussion on human rights and funda-
mental rights and the foundations of democracy. This thesis is based on a review of mainly
English-language literature: when, for example, writing about the situation in Poland, the author
ignores the extensive Polish literature on this concept.
Free and fair elections are part of the European model. However, there is a move away from
focusing on secret ballots as the only measure of democracy and respect for human dignity. The
social dimension of human dignity is presented here in a particularly interesting way. The conclu-
sion is that, while the European human rights framework gives a clear definition of human dignity,
this definition still lacks procedural guarantees. We can close this gap by formulating a right of
access to independent judicial review and incorporating it into the construction of human dignity.
Stephen Riley, writing on subsidiarity and human dignity, describes the practice of subsidiarity.
Noteworthy is the conclusion that subsidiarity alone is incapable of resolving the structural, core
tensions in politics. It is an expression of our need to balance diversity, autonomy and rational gov-
ernance. The ideas of human dignity seen through the prism of subsidiarity allow for a stronger
respect for the individual, to identify and remove barriers, in a ‘dignitarian’view of subsidiarity.
Przemysław Tacik’s article draws a similar conclusion: that although the principle of human
dignity constitutes an important element of the constitutional order, it is being eroded and can
no longer form an independent basis for the protection of such dignity. Describing the situation
in Hungary, too, the destruction of the basic democratic institutions is presented in a reliable
manner, with an emphasis on the principle of human dignity and solidarity with the weakest.
The principle of dignity remains the cornerstone of the constitutional axiology, but without a
proper legal framework, dignity loses its meaning.
Daniel Bedford’s article on democratic transition in the UK in the context of human dignity
shows increasing signs that the constitutional landscape of the UK is changing. The principle of
parliamentary sovereignty can be better seen in the context of the rule of law and fundamental
rights. This implies a gradually changing vision of democracy. The author points out that certain
limitations on the supremacy of the legislature are fundamental to the protection of democracy.
Book Reviews 91
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