The European Social Charter, which entered into force in 1965, protects social and economic rights and establishes a supervisory mechanism guaranteeing their respect by the States parties. The Charter was revised in order to update it and include in it new types of rights, taking into account the social changes that have taken place in European countries.
By ratifying the Charter, Russia is fulfilling one of the commitments it made when it joined the Council of Europe in February 1996, and affirming its commitment to the principles and provisions of European social law.
Given the differences in social and economic organisation of the European countries, the Charter does not require that countries ratifying it immediately implement all of its provisions. Countries thus have the possibility of expanding their commitments in the future.
In accordance with the Federal Law, the Russian Federation has currently committed itself to implementing 19 of the Charter’s 31 articles, including 6 of the 9 obligatory articles.
Russia signed the Charter in Strasbourg on September 14, 2000.
The Federal Law was passed by the State Duma on May 20, 2009, and approved by the Federation Council on May 27, 2009.