Using the Charter for Fundamental Rights and EU law to build civic space resilience in Romania
The Romanian civic space significantly shrunk in the last years. Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are used to harass and intimidate journalists and even dissolve civil society organizations. NGOs and citizens who dare to initiate public interest court cases pay the ultimate price for their courage: dissolution or personal insolvency. In order to counteract this phenomena, the project aims to create Charter and EU law tools for various relevant stakeholders.
The project offers a timely opportunity to explore how the Charter for Fundamental Rights can effectively protect the Romanian civic space. The research on the potential use of the Charter for Fundamental Rights and EU law to prevent NGO dissolution will be used to support both much needed legislative change as well as pending civil society public interest court cases.
The national research on existing and emerging SLAPPs as well as the advocacy meetings will build the capacity of civil society organizations to get involved in future anti-SLAPP advocacy activities, including during the transposition process of Directive (EU) 2024/1069. The creation of a practical guide on the CJEU preliminary reference procedure will build the capacity of lawyers to protect human rights.
Duration of the project – 9 months
The project proposal has 3 main objectives:
- Build the capacity of civil society organisations to use the Charter for Fundamental Rights and EU law to safeguard the civic space
- Build the capacity of lawyers to protect human rights through using the preliminary reference procedure
- Increase the capacity of the Charter focal point (Ministry of Justice) to implement the 2020-2030 Charter Strategy
Target group:
- Romanian non-governmental organizations
- The EU Charter focal point (Ministry Justice)
- The Romanian Institute for Human Rights (IRDO)
- 42 Romanian Bar Associations
- The National Agency for Public Servants
Beneficiaries:
Any Romanian legal or natural person litigating in the public interest
Estimated results
- Increased capacity of civil society actors (NGOs, journalists, citizens) to protect the civic space through the development and use of Charter and EU law tools
- Increased capacity of NGOs to get involved in future anti-SLAPP advocacy activities, including during the transposition process of Directive (EU) 2024/1069
- Increased capacity of lawyers to invoke the Charter and preliminary reference procedures in national human rights court litigation
- Increased capacity of state institutions the use the Charter and EU law when drafting legislation and policies
This is funded by EU Commision CERV STRIVE (Citizens, Equality, Rights & Values) programme.
The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV) aims to protect and promote European Union rights and values as enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It strives to support the creation and improvement of societies that are open, fair, democratic, equal, and inclusive, and operate under the principles of the rule of law. That includes a vibrant and empowered civil society, encouraging people’s democratic, civic, and social participation, and cultivating the rich diversity of European society, based on our common values, history and memory.
