European Commission launches campaign on EU fund to promote fundamental rights.

Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values CERV EU Funding

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers has launched a  communication campaign to amplify the reach and impact of its Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values”  (CERV) programme in Ireland. The CERV programme is the biggest-ever EU fund for civil society aiming at  promoting and protecting fundamental rights in the EU. CERV underlines the important role of civil society in  safeguarding and promoting the EU values of respect for human fundamental rights, rule of law and democracy.  As reported in the European Commission’s 2022 Annual report on the application of the EU Charter of  Fundamental Rights, civil society organisations (CSOs) across the EU face diverse challenges that hamper their  ability to carry out their work and to uphold human fundamental rights. These challenges include: 

● disadvantageous legislation or restrictive implementation of laws;  

● attacks on and harassment of CSOs and human rights defenders, including negative discourse aimed at  delegitimising and stigmatising CSOs (offline and online);  

● difficulties in accessing decision-makers and feeding into law and policymaking; and  ● hurdles to accessing financial resources and ensuring sustainability – as evidenced in the above mentioned report: A thriving civic space for upholding fundamental rights in the EU.  

Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programme

The CERV programme provides support to CSOs to help them uphold the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights  (particularly by empowering civic space) and building their capacity and resilience to protect and promote Union  values. A network of National Contact Points (NCPs) has been set up in EU Member States to help roll out the  programme. Designated by national governments, the NCPs offer support by providing information about the EU  programme and the possibilities it offers to fund project proposals. They also help interested entities with the  application process and assist in finding potential project partners. Yet, Ireland has 1.84 applications per 100,000  inhabitants, placing the country in the twentieth position among EU countries in terms of applications per  inhabitant. 

Research shows that the values CERV defends matter to Irish people: the Flash Eurobarometer 528 on  Citizenship and Democracy, December 2023, shows that 92% of Irish respondents consider civil society  important for democracy and common values. From the Standard Eurobarometer 101 in Spring 2024, 80% of  Irish citizens are satisfied with democracy in their country, and 92% agree that all EU Member States should  uphold core EU values. 

According to the 2023 Annual Report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which focuses  on effective legal protection and access to justice, many interesting aspects emerge regarding Ireland. The  country has implemented various measures to support victims of crime and ensure their access to justice. In  Ireland, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal makes available free interpretation into Irish sign language upon request, facilitating access to justice for the hearing impaired. Ireland also focuses on the rights of victims  of discrimination through its National Human Rights Institutions and equality bodies. These institutions promote  fundamental rights, provide free legal assistance to individuals experiencing discrimination, and conduct  awareness-raising activities.  

Public awareness of CERV as a programme supporting a Union of rights and values and seeking to maximise the  impact of EU funding where it is most needed must increase. According to the Standard Eurobarometer 101 in  Spring 2024, in the European Union, 70% of respondents would like to know more about their rights as EU  citizens (‘Yes, definitely’ according to 26%, and ‘Yes, to some extent’ for 44%). In Ireland, the percentage is 72%  of respondents (‘Yes, definitely’ according to 31%, and ‘Yes, to some extent’ for 41%). That is the aim of the  campaign launched today. Stories of beneficiaries illustrate the concrete impact that CERV-funded projects can  have on, for example, combating and preventing gender-based violence and inequality, protecting children’s and  women’s rights, promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities and supporting community integration. The  campaign will also highlight the vital role of the NCPs in rolling out the programme at the grassroots level.  

Calls for project proposals under CERV are published regularly on the Commission’s EU Funding and Tenders  Portal to address inequalities and discrimination, to help people better understand and make better use of their  rights as EU citizens, and to uphold and promote fundamental EU rights and values. The shared challenges and  cross-border dimension of the CERV programme underscore the need for concerted action at the EU level. 

Background 

The CERV programme is open to local, regional, national and transnational entities. These entities may be non governmental organisations (NGOs), universities, research centres, public authorities, private entities or for-profit  organisations. CERV supports initiatives that promote rights, non-discrimination and equality (with a strong  emphasis on gender equality), engage citizens in the EU’s democratic processes, address violence (including  gender-based violence and violence against children) and uphold and promote the values of the European Union. 

Initiated in 2021 and set to continue until 2027, the CERV programme’s pivotal mission is to allocate funding to  entities committed to upholding and furthering the rights and principles encapsulated in the Treaties of the  European Union, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and international human rights  conventions. 

Since CERV started in 2021, the programme has allocated a total of €2,280,286.52 in Ireland, which represents  0.88% of the funds awarded in 2021-2022. A total of 89 project proposals have been submitted, with a success  rate of 35%. Key thematic areas of successful projects included preventing gender-based violence and promoting  EU fundamental rights. Taking into consideration the whole European Union, 3105 civil society organizations  have received financial backing, over 85,000 individuals have engaged in exchange and mutual learning events,  and approximately 1.5 million people have participated in CERV-related training. Some of the projects and  organisations funded so far include: 

● Initiatives in Germany on “Intersex Equality and Fundamental Rights” and on combating discrimination  against transgender individuals. 

● Sports in Sweden used as a vehicle for promoting equality, human rights, and democratic values. ● An international network set up in Italy for “An Inclusive and Democratic Europe.” ● Events organised in Slovakia to bolster a sense of “A Common European Future and European Unity,”  emphasising peace, solidarity, and tolerance. 

● An “Intersectionality Matters” project in Austria aimed at promoting equality and combating  discrimination against LBQTI women and non-binary individuals. 

● The Family Justice Centre model implemented in the Netherlands, providing a central platform for  members and partners. 

There are also upcoming projects in Germany and Italy, which will focus on empowering persons with  disabilities and using public art to champion EU fundamental rights, respectively, with additional initiatives in  Spain and Denmark. 

To find out more about the CERV programme and how to apply, various resources are available. Funding  opportunities, information about how to apply and projects supported under CERV are available on the EU  Funding & Tenders Portal. You can also reach out to one of the CERV National Contact Points for information  about the programme and assistance with the application process. The CERV programme web page contains the  CERV work programme and the indicative planning for calls. To stay up to date on CERV-related events, you  can sign up to the DG JUST newsletter. For questions on specific calls, contact a CERV National Contact Point  or write to EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu or EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu as indicated in the specific call  document. 

For more information: 

CERV campaign website 

Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission 

CERV programme statistics 

● Annual reports on the application charter

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