The place and role of the candidate site in the development and promotion of common values that support European integration
In accordance with the article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, the “Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”.
The common values that support the European integration are also described in more detail in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
It is undeniable that the abolition of the death penalty is seen as a common principle to be achieved by all people in all nations. In a historical viewpoint, this document reflects and embodies the realization of the philanthropic and humanist values born in the Europe of the Illuminism by the voice of Cesare de Beccaria, as well as the abolitionist movements that followed and strived for human rights and human dignity.
Some of the principles and values mentioned in the Charter of Law of Dom Luís, which approves the Criminal and Prison Reform – and includes the Law of the 1st of July 1867[12] – are topped by the abolition of the death penalty. Today, they are comprised in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU)[13], showing the strong symbolic value of the document and its moral strength.