The European Social Charter is a treaty of the Council of Europe that guarantees fundamental social and economic rights. It complements the European Convention on Human Rights, which refers to civil and political rights. It guarantees a wide range of everyday human rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection, and social services.

The Charter emphasizes the protection of vulnerable people such as the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and migrants. It requires that the enjoyment of these rights be ensured without discrimination.

No other legal instrument at the pan-European level provides such extensive and comprehensive protection of social rights as that provided by the Charter. It also serves as a reference point for European Union law; most of the social rights in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union are based on articles of the Charter.

The Charter is therefore considered the Social Constitution of Europe and represents an essential component of the human rights architecture on the continent.