I vincoli internazionali in materia di tutela dei diritti sociali: alcuni spunti dalla giurisprudenza recente sulle "misure di austerità"

di Deborah Russo

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione. - 2. La configurabilità di misure regressive della tutela nei trattati sui diritti sociali. - 3. Il divieto di misure aventi effetti discriminatori. - 4. L’inderogabilità delle cosiddette “core obligations”. - 5. Gli obblighi procedurali imposti dal principio della proporzionalità. - 6. L’altra faccia della medaglia: “condizionalità” e diritti sociali. - 7. Considerazioni conclusive.

The article deals with the impact of the so called “measures of austerity” - which States are compelled to implement in order to get access to international credit schemes - on the enjoyment of international social rights standards. In particular, by examining the relevant case law of the international treaty bodies in the field of social rights’ protection, the paper focuses on the criteria that restrict the States’ margin of discretion to derogate social rights in order to cope with the economic emergency. It argues that both the national constitutional courts and the European Court of Justice should play a pivotal role to guarantee the core standards of social protection by enhancing the relevant provisions of, respectively, their national constitutions (particularly, as far as the Italian legal order is concerned with, art. 117 Cost.) and the European Charter of fundamental rights.