PURPOSE: to establish the rights and values programme for the period 2021-2027.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: the Union is a community of law, and its values constitute the very basis of its existence. These values are enshrined in the EU Treaties, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
To promote common European values and rights, the EU has combined several instruments in a policy mix of legislation, policies and funding. In particular, the following funding programmes have showed a strong societal focus and are clearly related to European values: the rights, equality and citizenship programme, the Europe for citizens programme, and the justice programme.
However, the fragmented nature and limited resources of current EU funding programmes limits the EU’s capacity to respond to existing and new challenges.
At a time where European societies are confronted with extremism, radicalism and divisions, it is more important than ever to promote, strengthen and defend justice, rights and EU values which are human rights, respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law.
That is why the Commission proposes to create a new justice, rights and values fund, including the rights and values and justice programmes within the EU budget.
CONTENT: the proposed Regulation - presented for a Union of 27 Member States – seeks to establish the rights and values programme. It lays down the objectives of the programme, the budget for the period 2021- 2027, the forms of Union funding and the rules for providing such funding.
This new programme, together with the justice programme, will be part of a new justice, rights and values fund of the EU budget that will help to sustain open, democratic, pluralist and inclusive societies.
The general objective of the proposed rights and values programme is to protect and promote rights and values as enshrined in the EU Treaties and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including by supporting civil society organisations, in order to sustain open, democratic and inclusive societies.
The programme has three specific objectives:
(1) Promotion of equality and rights (equality and rights strand):
- preventing and combating inequalities and discrimination on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, and supporting comprehensive policies to promote gender equality and anti-discrimination and their mainstreaming as well policies to combat racism and all forms of intolerance;
- protecting and promoting the rights of the child, the rights of people with disabilities, Union citizenship rights and the right to the protection of personal data.
(2) Promoting citizens' engagement and participation in the democratic life of the Union (citizens’s engagement and participation strand):
- increasing citizens’ understanding of the Union, its history, cultural heritage and diversity;
- promoting exchange and cooperation between citizens of different countries and citizens’ civic and democratic participation.
(3) Combating violence (Daphne strand): preventing and combating all forms of violence against children, young people and women and violence against other groups at risk; and supporting and protecting the victims of such violence.
The programme shall provide for and accelerate the synergies between its different specific objectives in order to increase their potential to reach citizens. To be effective, the programme shall take into account the specific nature of the different policies, their different target groups and their particular needs through tailor-made approaches.
Proposed budget: the programme’s overall budget is set at EUR 641.7 million for the period 2021-2027. This amount shall be allocated as follows:
- EUR 408.7 million for the ‘equality and rights’ and ‘fight against violence’ strands;
- EUR 233 million for the citizen engagement and participation strand.