APOTHEOSIS OF THE SOCIAL STATE: SOCIAL JUSTICE AS A COMPONENT OF CROATIAN CONSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY

The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia expresses commitment to the concept of the welfare state and the principle of social justice as common values of European constitutionalism. The jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court affirms their binding nature and declares their belonging to the inviolable core of the Constitution, so-called constitutional identity. Therefore, departing from these fundamental and "eternal" values would mean to abandon the constitutional order altogether. In the context of enhanced European integration, due to the social deficit of the European Union, it is necessary to protect the social core of the Croatian Constitution. The insistence on the protection of the welfare state and social justice as components of the Croatian constitutional identity does not seek to undermine the European unity. Instead, it aims at creating a socially just united Europe.