EU Charter: Rights of People in the EU – Jourová | Lenaerts | O’Flaherty | Van Dunem

7 December marks the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by the Presidents of the EU institutions in 2000. On that day, FRA, in partnership with the European Commission held a virtual conference ‘Reinforcing the EU Charter: Rights of People in the EU in the Next Decade’. Leading European politicians and experts have shared their insight on how to strengthen the application of the Charter and make it meaningful for the people:

• Věra Jourová | European Commission Vice-President, Commissioner for values and  transparency
• Koen Lenaerts | President of the Court of Justice of the European Union
• Michael O’Flaherty | Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Francisca Van Dunem | Minister of Justice, Portugal

In light of the adoption of the new European Commission Strategy for the Charter’s implementation, the panel discussed the need for collective efforts to reinforce the application of the Charter. The conference encouraged EU and national policymakers, legal practitioners, and other relevant stakeholders to promote the rights proclaimed in Charter and apply it in courts, law and policy.

If you wish to know more about the EU Charter, have a look at the FRA Charter videos explaining the EU’s bill of rights chapter by chapter. Make sure to visit Charterpedia, an easy-to-use tool collecting information about the Charter and its national applicability.

Visit the European Commission website and the European e-Justice Portal to learn how your rights are protected by the EU. In addition to practical information, the e-Justice Portal also offers online tools and applications helping citizens find out more about how their rights are protected. The Commission’s strategy on strengthening the application of the Charter in the EU, is available here.

To find out more about the conference and re-watch the whole panel debate click here.