FAIR Project: Join the National Seminars on Fundamental Rights!
The FAIR project continues to make progress, and we are delighted to announce the start of the National Seminars, taking place in participating countries during January and February. These events provide an important opportunity to raise awareness about the FAIR initiative, share preliminary research findings, and create a space for dialogue among experts and organisations working to promote and protect fundamental rights across Europe.
The seminars are conducted online and in hybrid mode, ensuring accessibility to participants from all locations.
Participation is free of charge, subject to prior registration. Certificates of attendance will be available for all participants upon request.
For detailed information, including the complete program and schedule, please refer to the official flyers.
Explore the calendar and join us in strengthening the protection of fundamental rights in Europe!
PORTUGAL
Date: 23 January 2025
Time: From 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. (local time)
Title: “A Carta dos Direitos Fundamentais “em ação” em Portugal: reflexões para uma ação transformadora”
Description: The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union protects a wide range of individual, civil, political, economic and social rights, binding all the institutions and bodies of the European Union, as well as the Member States, to its application. The Charter complements national legal systems but does not replace them, as its application is subject to the principle of subsidiarity. It is also a policy reference document, which should be enshrined in the various instruments of preparation and implementation of public policies, in the protection and guarantee of fundamental rights, extended to all entities and associations acting in the various areas.
The potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as an instrument to promote and protect the rights of individuals, depends on how effectively it is implemented in practice. This Online Seminar aims to contribute to this objective, promoting awareness of the relevance of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as a reference tool for the work of civil society organisations and public entities, both in the design of legislation and in the development of actions aimed at the protection of fundamental rights.
The Seminar has the participation of representatives of organisations and entities that act in areas of defence and protection of fundamental rights. It seeks to reflect, from the heterogeneity of institutional and associative experiences, on the legal and political relevance of the Charter and explore the challenges to its current and potential application, in order to promote positive changes for people’s rights. How can it be applied? Under what concrete circumstances? How does it interact with other national regulatory instruments? These are some questions that we propose to discuss at the Seminar.
SPAIN
Date: 23 January 2025
Time: From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (local time)
Title: “Derechos Fundamentales y Migración: Fortaleciendo la Protección de los Perfiles Vulnerables en Europa”
Description: The Chair on Refugees and Forced Migrants of the University Institute for Migration Studies (Comillas Pontifical University) organises the Seminar on Migration and Refugees every academic year. In relation to this, in the 9th edition of the seminar we will hold the 4th session: Fundamental Rights and Migration: Strengthening the protection of vulnerable profiles in Europe.
The session will focus on the research project ‘EU Charter of Fundamental rights: Awareness raising and Instruments to promote a culture of Rights (FAIR)’ funded by the European Union. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and promote the use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Member States, through understanding the obstacles to the use of the Charter at national level, as well as good practices in its application. The session will take place on Thursday 23 January 2025, from 18:00 to 20:00 at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in the Faculty of ICADE, calle de Alberto Aguilera, 23. This IX Edition is bimodal, we have a capacity of 90 people in the classroom and it will also be streamed online through BBCollaborate.
ITALY
Date: 28 January 2025
Time: From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (local time)
Title: “La tutela dei diritti fondamentali in Italia. Strategie di resistenza e risposta alle discriminazioni”
Description: The seminar seeks to present FAIR, highlight the preliminary outcomes of the research carried out, and foster dialogue between experts and organisations committed to advancing and safeguarding fundamental rights in Italy. The seminar will be held in Italian.
Link to participate: Link of the seminar to be sent once registration is completed via this link.
SLOVENIA
Date: 29 January 2025
Time: From 9 a.m. (local time) on MS Teams
Title: “Krepitev kulture pravic – Listina EU o temeljnih pravicah v praksi / Promoting a culture of Rights – EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in practice”
Description: The first part of the event will be devoted to brief presentations on the results of the project as well as some of the activities of other national instiuttions and organisations. Speakers: dr. Simona Drenik Bavdek, Human Rights Ombudsman, Boštjan Vernik Šetinc, Advocate of the Principle of Equality, Jernej Koselj, Ministry of Justice, Luka Štrubelj, Legal Centre fort he Protection of Human Rights and the Environment – PIC.
The second part of the event will consist of a lecture by Ms Kersty McCourt, Senior Advocacy Adviser at the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), on the content of the Charter, the scope of protection it offers and its application.
The lecture will be held in English.
Link to participate: Spletni dogodek: Krepitev kulture pravic – Listina EU o temeljnih pravicah v praksi
CROATIA
Date: 30 January 2025, 10 AM at Zoom
Time: From 10 a.m. (local time)
Title: “Predstavljanje planiranih aktivnosti promocije Povelje EU o temeljnim pravima”
Description: The meeting aims to raise awareness about fundamental rights and the Charter and establish initial contact among participants, organizations, and institutions. We also wish to emphasize the importance of fundamental rights in our organisations’ and institutions’ daily work and encourage the Charter’s application in the activities and projects we develop and participate in.
The first session will go through the activities implemented as a part of the Fair project with emphasis on the survey conducted in autumn showing the level of familiarity with the Charter in Croatia and in comparison to the countries of the Fair consortium. The second session will explore the activities planned for 2025 by the Government’s Office, a contact point for the Charter, followed by the Ombudsperson’s office presentation on the findings of the Charter use when applying for EU funds. Human Rights House Zagreb will present the findings of the annual reports on using the Charter by the domestic institutions. In the third session, the CPS team will present the planned activities by the civil society – training sessions planned through this and other CERV-Charter projects.
For any inquiries: cvijeta.senta@cms.hr
BELGIUM
Date: 3 February 2025
Time: From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (local time)
Title: “The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Action: Enhancing Rights Protection in the EU and Belgium”
Description: The seminar offers an in-depth examination of the Charter’s importance in safeguarding fundamental rights, with a spotlight on its application in EU law, national case law, and migration-related litigation. The seminar also explores the latest outputs from the FAIR Project, providing actionable insights for strengthening rights protection frameworks. The event concludes with an open discussion, providing an interactive platform for attendees and speakers to exchange ideas, address challenges, and explore actionable solutions.
The seminar will be held in English.
Link to participate: Link of the seminar to be sent once registration is completed via this link
For any inquiries: frc@vub.be and/or nadine.el-dekmak@vub.be
CYPRUS
Date: 3 February 2025
Time: From 10.30 a.m to 1 p.m. (local time) at University of Nicosia and on-line
Title: “Η χρήση του Χάρτη της ΕΕ για τα θεμελιώδη δικαιώματα στην Κύπρο: επιτυχίες, αποτυχίες, προοπτικές, συστάσεις”
Description: The seminar will examine the use of the EU Charter at various levels, including at the Courts, during the legislative process, at policy making and at the level of non-governmental organisations. The seminar will start with a contribution from the Head of the Human Rights Section of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, followed by a contribution from a UNHCR representative who will talk on the use of the Charter in the field of asylum. Finally, Professor Nicos Trimikliniotis from Symfiliosi will present the findings of the qualitative and quantitative research carried out in the context of the FAIR project. The contributions will be followed by a discussion. The seminar will be held in a hybrid mode.
Organiser: Symfiliosi, sending speakers: Ministry of Justice and Public Order and UNHCR Cyprus.
Meeting ID: 831 0318 1256
Passcode: 998128
BULGARIA
Date: 4 February 2025
Time: From 10 a.m. (local time)
Title: “Празник на правата: Хартата на основните права като ключ към по–добра защита”
Description: The seminar will be divided into three sessions. The first session will provide a brief introduction to the Charter, focusing on its content and application. The second session will present the FAIR findings, highlighting how the Charter is utilized and identifying areas for improvement. The third session will feature a discussion with an NGO that has extensive experience and frequently applies the Charter in its daily work, exploring the opportunities and challenges encountered at a practical level.
Official flyer (coming soon)
GREECE
Date: 19 February 2025
Time: From 3 p.m. (local time)
Title: “Παιδική Προστασία & Θεμελιώδη Δικαιώματα: Προάσπιση των δικαιωμάτων του παιδιού στην δημόσια σφαίρα και τα ΜΜΕ”
Description: The event will focus on highlighting the importance of Article 24 of the Charter, which establishes the principle of protecting children’s rights and emphasizes that the best interest of the child must be the primary consideration in all decisions affecting them.
The discussion will center on three key areas:
- Article 24 of the Charter and the principle of child rights protection,
- Child protection policies,
- Media responsibilities and actions to be taken at an institutional level to promote children’s rights.
The event will also address the need for accurate media reporting on child abuse cases, the protection of victim identities, and ensuring confidentiality, so that victims can safely access support services.
The speakers will share best practices and field experience on this matter as well as tools that professionals can use.
Link to participate: Link of the seminar to be sent once registration is completed via this link.
https://forms.gle/wXM4TUrNUaFfPxjc8
For any inquiries: ctsoulfidou@cecl.gr