The Conference of Religious of Ireland has called on the EU to develop a charter for social, economic and cultural rights, and for such a charter to be incorporated into a new European Treaty.
It says the European Parliament should play an active role in ensuring this happens.
In a pre-election briefing paper, CORI's justice office says these rights should include the right to a sufficient income to live life with dignity, the right to work, to appropriate accommodation, to healthcare, to education, to cultural respect and to participate in shaping decisions that affect people.
The paper notes that in recent years there has been a growing recognition internationally that "human rights are about more than civil and political rights."