Monitoring Fundamental Rights

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PROJECT "SUPPORTING NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS IN MONITORING FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ASPECTS OF THE RULE OF LAW"

EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation, 2022-2024

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) is implementing a regional project to support national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in monitoring fundamental rights and the fundamental rights aspects of the rule of law. NHRIs in seven EU Member States, including the Ombudswoman of the Republic of Bulgaria, are taking part in this project, as well as the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).

The project aims to strengthen the role of NHRIs in the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights at the national level.

Project Status: Ended

Project start date: June 2022

Project end date: February 2024

What?

The project provides support to NHRIs in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia – which are also EEA and Norway Grants beneficiary states – to make active use of the EU Charter in their work. The following NHRIs are taking part in the project:

Why?

FRA’s 2020 report Strong and effective national human rights institutions – challenges, promising practices and opportunities demonstrated the potential to further strengthen NHRIs in the EU. FRA has developed this project to put into practice some of the report’s opinions. It draws on the expertise of ENNHRI regarding rule of law monitoring by NHRIs.

This is in line with the Council of Europe’s Recommendation to strengthen NHRIs. It reinforces the role of NHRIs in enhancing the application of the EU Charter, as stated in the 2020 EU Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter, the EU’s rule of law mechanisms, as well as the Charter-compliant use of EU funds (Regulation 2021/1060, the ‘Common Provisions Regulation on 8 EU Funds’).

How?

The project aims to support the NHRIs in developing and implementing activities to promote the application of the EU Charter nationally. It aims to strengthen their:

staff knowledge about the EU Charter
capacity to monitor fundamental rights and fundamental rights aspects of the rule of law.

The latter aims to build on ENNHRI’s methodology of the rule of law reporting. While NHRIs will be able to draw on the wealth of national data collected by FRA, this project aims to make use of FRA’s expertise on the EU Charter and existing training material such as FRA’s e-learning EU Charter tool.

Lessons from the project will be shared and promoted across the EU, through the network of NHRIs and other stakeholders. Planned project outputs include methodologies, toolkits on the EU Charter, capacity building events and reports about the application of the EU Charter and the human rights structures in the partner countries. The project will run until the end of February 2024.

Project implementation in Bulgaria

Outcomes and other results

Ombudsman of Bulgaria staff’s capacity in using the EU Charter in their work improved, particularly on: reporting, monitoring, advisory functions, complaints handling, human rights education and awareness-raising;
Data collection skills on experiences of the fundamental rights situation and protection in Bulgaria developed;
Capacity of Bulgarian practitioners with relevant knowledge and awareness on the applicability of the EU Charter and the CRPD improved through the establishment of on-line EU Charter Library in national language;
Tools on the use of the EU Charter translated and adapted;
Pool of experts capable of using the EU Charter created at national level;
An action plan to make further use of the EU Charter at the national level developed;
Enhanced NHRIs capacity to use tools and mechanisms to help protect fundamental rights in relation to EU funds;
Data collection skills in relation to use of the EU Charter and CRPD in EU funds developed;
Identified and mitigated capacity challenges in mainstreaming fundamental rights into EU funds through training and guidance;
Focused training for staff of the Office of the Ombudsman: Applying the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in National Human Rights Institutions in the context of EU funds carried out;
National diagnostic workshop to determine key intervention points in Bulgaria for NGOs working on EU funds carried out;
National diagnostic workshop to determine key intervention points in Bulgaria for state administration staff working on EU funds and with local mediators (local Ombuds’ persons) carried out;
Common network for further trainings of state administration staff established;
Working meeting with local mediators (municipal Ombuds’ offices) on safeguarding fundamental rights in EU funds carried out.

Deliverables

Baseline Study: Implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Bulgaria;
Mapping of National Human Rights Structures in Bulgaria;
Best Practices of EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Implementation in Bulgaria by the Ombuds institution;
The Role of National Bodies with a Human Rights Remit in Ensuring Fundamental Rights Compliance of EU Funds – Bulgaria;
Action Plan on Improving the Application of the EU Charter and CRPD in the Use of EU Funds in Bulgaria;
On-line EU Charter Library in national language established.

Past Projects of the Ombudsman
Monitoring Fundamental Rights

Monitoring Fundamental Rights

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