A convention was held in December of 1999 to draft a Charter of Fundamental Rights for the newly formed European Union. The draft of this charter was finished and adopted by the convention on October 2 of the following year. The convention was comprised of 62 members including representatives of the parliaments of each member nation and representatives of the European Parliament. It was chaired by Roman Herzog, former president of Germany, and approved unanimously by the Biarritz European Council 12 days later. It was finalized and a proclamation signed in Nice on December 7, 2000 after passing through the European Parliament the preceding month.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights lays out all of the civil, political, social, and economic rights of all residents and citizens of the member countries of the European Union. These rights include the right to dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity, justice, and the rights of citizens. The text of the this charter is divided into six categories based on these rights, and the extent of these rights are explained in detail within the text. It is the first document to provide a unified declaration of the rights of all persons living in the European union.