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Introduction to fundamental rights
This sheet helps you know fundamental rights. It also helps you understand how they apply.
Key points of the sheet
- Fundamental rights are the basic rights and freedoms that everyone must respect. They are the same for everyone, whatever their sex, age, beliefs or way of life.
- Fundamental rights guarantee dignity, respect, equality and justice to everyone.
- These rights can be divided into 3 categories. There are rights linked to the human person, social and economic rights, and collective rights called "third generation" rights.
- Fundamental rights are the basis of our democracy. They are guaranteed by the State.
- These rights are written in several texts, including the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 and the Civil Code of 1804. They are also in the French Constitutions of 1946 and 1958.
- These rights are also written in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, set up in 1959. They are also in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union of 2000 and the Environment Charter of 2005.
Words to know
- fundamental rights (droits fondamentaux)
- They are the basic rights and freedoms that everyone must respect, the same for all.
- third generation (rights) (de troisième génération)
- They are collective fundamental rights.
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen)
- It is a text from 1789 that contains fundamental rights and freedoms.
- Civil Code (Code Civil)
- It is a text from 1804 that contains fundamental rights and freedoms.
- European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Convention européenne des droits de l’homme et des libertés fondamentales)
- It is a European text set up in 1959 that contains fundamental rights and freedoms.
- Environment Charter (Charte de l’environnement)
- It is a text from 2005 that contains fundamental rights and freedoms.
Test yourself: 3 questions
Into how many categories can fundamental rights be divided?
In French, the language of the exam: En combien de catégories peut-on répartir les droits fondamentaux ?
Fundamental rights can be divided into 3 categories.
What year is the Environment Charter from?
In French, the language of the exam: De quelle année date la Charte de l'environnement ?
The Environment Charter dates from 2005.
What kind of rights are the so-called "third generation" rights?
In French, the language of the exam: Comment sont les droits dits « de troisième génération » ?
The sheet says that third generation rights are collective.
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Source
Sheet “Introduction aux droits fondamentaux” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.