European Union’s (re)definition of the marriage and family: anthropological and political meaning in the context of population ageing in Europe

Abstract

The starting point for the article is the question: Why, in spite of the dramatic demographic situation of Europe, the EU does not establish any kind of family policy? Taking into account, the so-called, “spillover effect” and the development of other EU’s policies, the author shows that the lack of clearly stated in the EU’s primary law competence to operate in the area of family policy cannot be treated as a fully sufficient argument to explain the EU’s desinteressement for family issues. Consequently, he proposes to consider much deeper, anthropological problem of the EU’s law in that contexts. The article discusses two, interconnected, theses: (1) in the EU’s fundamental rights law are redefined fundamental anthropological premises concerning the relation of the man, marriage and family; (2) redefinition of marriage and family in the EU’s law creates important obstacles for the development of the demographically successful family policy within the EU. The sources for the analysis are the EU’s primary law, Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as chosen political documents of the EU’s institutions.