Citizenship, equality, rights and values

1.86 billion

Active civic participation, European values, advocacy for rights and equal opportunities

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DG / Responsible Agencies / National Contact Points: EAC | JUST | EACEA | CERVitalia

Potential beneficiaries

Civil society organizations, European networks, public authorities, equality and human rights bodies, local authorities, academic and research institutions, think tanks.

Description and objectives

The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program responds to a number of key challenges facing the European Union:

• Promote respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the rights of persons belonging to minorities as the founding values of the European Union;
• Engage citizens in strengthening democratic societies and counter emerging movements that challenge the idea of open, inclusive, cohesive and democratic societies and threaten the enjoyment of rights and civic participation;
• Counter persistent inequality, discrimination, and violence based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation;
• To promote the rights arising from EU citizenship, namely free movement, consular protection and electoral rights, for the benefit of better political and social participation of citizens;
• Countering the effect of economic crises, growing inequalities, and new or persistent challenges (such as migration) that have led some to question fundamental EU rights and values, including the rule of law, access to justice, space for civil society, and the independence of the judiciary.

The program responds to these challenges by supporting civil society organizations active at local, regional, national and transnational levels in promoting EU values and rights.

In doing so, it aims to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the treaties and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, to raise awareness and activism towards them, and to support open, democratic, equitable and inclusive societies based on rights and the rule of law.

By virtue of the issues it covers, it is one of the most important programs for Third Sector actors.

Types of actions and projects

The program is organized into four different sections:

• Union Values Section: To contribute to the protection and promotion of Union values by providing financial support to civil society organizations active at the local, regional and transnational levels;
• Equality, Rights and Gender Equality Section: Promote rights, equality, inclusion and non-discrimination (including gender), protect and promote the rights of the child, the rights of persons with disabilities, EU citizenship rights and the right to protection of personal data;
• Citizen Engagement and Participation Section: Promote citizens’ engagement and participation in the democratic life of the Union, exchanges between citizens of different member states, and increase awareness of common European history;
• Daphne Section: Combat violence, including gender-based violence and violence against children and other at-risk groups.

The program supports a wide range of organizations that promote and protect the values and rights of the Union, in the various indicated areas of the four sections. He argues in particular:

• Training, capacity building, exchange of best practices among member state authorities and bodies, and town twinning;
• Raising people’s awareness of their rights and the benefits that EU policies can bring to their daily lives;
• The development of knowledge-based EU policies and regulations through surveys, studies and analysis;
• Capacity building of key EU-wide networks (especially the annual work program of EQUINET, the network of EU equality bodies).

Highlights

The Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values program is the result of the merger of two programs from the previous programming period, the Rights, Equality and Citizenship program and the Europe for Citizens program, both of which have a strong focus on promoting, raising the profile of, and participating in, the founding values of the European Union, with the aim of increasing the synergy and visibility of actions in this area.