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Call key data
Strategic litigation
Funding Program
Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme
Call number
CERV-2023-CHAR-LITI-LITIGATION
deadlines
Opening
24.01.2023
Deadline
25.05.2023 17:00
Funding rate
90%
Call budget
€ 16,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
no limit
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
This call for proposals will promote right and values by building primarily civil society organisations capacity and awareness on the Charter and by carrying out activities to ensure that the Charter is upheld. Projects will be selected to ensure a balanced representation of the five priorities. Projects can be national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.
Call objectives
As highlighted in the Charter Strategy, people need to be aware of their rights and need help to receive effective judicial protection in case their fundamental rights are breached. Such protection also includes strategic litigation involving rights enshrined in the Charter, which contributes to a more coherent implementation and application of EU law and to the enforcement of individuals’ rights.
Strategic litigators are key to fostering the promotion and protection of Charter rights and support should be given to strengthening their capacity and specialised knowledge on the Charter and on how to develop a strategic approach to cases. In this context, the support and assistance to the victims provided by civil society organisations, NHRIs and Equality bodies and Ombuds-institutions is instrumental.
Projects under this priority should, through training, knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices, strengthen the knowledge and ability of civil society organisations as well as of practitioners, legal professionals and independent human rights bodies to effectively engage in litigation practices at national and European level and to improve access to justice and enforcement of rights under EU law, including the Charter.
Projects under this priority can also include a focus on countering manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings against journalists and human rights defenders who engage in public participation (Strategic lawsuits against public participation).
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Expected effects and impacts
- Increased awareness and knowledge by legal professionals and practitioners in CSOs, NHRIs, Equality bodies, Ombuds-institutions and other rights defenders about EU law, including the Charter and existing remedies and redress mechanisms to enforce them at national and European level;
- Increased awareness and knowledge by the general public of their rights under EU law, including the Charter, existing remedies and redress mechanisms to enforce them at national and European level as well as awareness and knowledge of available support by legal professionals and practitioners;
- Increased ability of CSOs, NHRIs, equality bodies and Ombuds-institutions and other rights defenders to develop a litigation strategy and communicate and advocate around it and to bring strategic litigation cases before national courts and the European Court of Justice; Strengthened abilities of legal professionals and practitioners in CSOs, NHRIs, Equality bodies, Ombudsinstitutions and other rights defenders to cooperate and engage in litigation practices to assist individuals in making effective use of available remedies to enforce their rights under EU law, including the Charter, before national and European courts;
- Increased awareness on the use of manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings against journalists and human rights defenders who engage in public participation (Strategic lawsuits against public participation);
- Improved knowledge of safeguards and strategic protection against manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings for journalists and human rights defenders who engage in public participation.
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Expected results
The following activities can be covered:
- Activities to increase the ability of civil society organisations, including legal practitioners working for them, NHRIs, Equality bodies and Ombuds Institutions and other rights defenders to develop skills and capacity in the area of strategic litigation on fundamental rights under the Charter, including by deepening their knowledge about the preliminary ruling mechanism (under Article 267 TFEU) and the opportunities of legal protection available under EU law;
- Analytical activities, such as data collection and research, and the creation of tools or data bases (e.g. thematic databases of jurisprudence);
- Communication activities, including dissemination of information and awareness raising about rights, redress mechanisms, and strategic cases;
- Capacity building and awareness raising activities to counter manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings against journalists and human rights defenders who engage in public participation (Strategic lawsuits against public participation).
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
No
Project Partnership
Proposals can be submitted by one or more organisations (lead applicant “Coordinator” and co-applicants).
In order to be eligible, the applicants (lead applicants “Coordinator”, co-applicants and affiliated entities) must:
- For lead applicants (i.e. the “Coordinator”): be non-profit legal entities (private bodies)
- For co-applicants: be non-profit or profit legal entities (public or private bodies). Organisations which are profit-oriented may apply only in partnership with private non-profit organisations;
- be formally established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- other eligibility conditions:
- Activities must take place in any of the eligible countries
Specific cases:
- Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
- International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
- Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality'. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible).
- Programme Contact Points are eligible as coordinator or beneficiary in open calls, if they have procedures to segregate the project management and the information provision functions and if they are able to demonstrate cost separation (i.e. that their project grants do not cover any costs which are covered by their other grant). This requires the following:
- use of analytical accounting which allows for a cost accounting management with cost allocation keys and cost accounting codes AND application of these keys and codes to identify and separate the costs (i.e. to allocate them to either one of the two grants)
- recording of all real costs incurred for the activities that are covered by the two grants (including the indirect costs)
- allocation of the costs in a way that leads to a fair, objective and realistic result.
other eligibility criteria
The EU grant applied for cannot be lower than € 75,000.00.
Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
12-24 months
Additional Information
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the Topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System ( NOT the documents available on the Topic page — they are only for information).
Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:
- Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
- Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
- Application Form Part C (to be filled in directly online) containing additional project data including mandatory indicators
- mandatory annexes and supporting documents (to be uploaded):
- CVs (standard) of core project team
- the coordinator's activity report of last year (n/a for newly established organisations)
- the coordinator's list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years) (n/a for newly established organisations)
- for any of the participants implementing activities involving children (person under the age of 18): their child protection policy covering the four areas described in the Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards.
Proposals are limited to maximum 70 pages (Part B).
Call documents
CERV-2023-CHAR-LITI_call document-ENCERV-2023-CHAR-LITI_call document-EN(531kB)
Contact
Website
CERV Nationale Kontakstelle Österreich
+43 1 531 15–202907
ernst.holzinger@bka.gv.at
Website
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