Automatically generated translation
The program CERV (English acronym for Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values) is part of the Justice, Rights and Values Fund together with the Justice Programme.
This program aims to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties and from Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular by recognizing the value of and supporting civil society organizations active at local, regional, national and transnational levels.
The main objective of the Program is to support and nurture open, fair and democratic societies, which respect people's rights and include everyone based on the principles of the Rule of Law. This means encouraging a vibrant and engaged civil society, involving people more in democracy and celebrating Europe's diverse cultures and history.
The program CERV is divided into four key sectors:
The management of the projects relating to "Citizen involvement and participation" and "Union values" is entrusted toEACEA Executive Agency, while the other two areas are managed by the Directorate General "Justice and Consumers" of the European Commission.
Le purposes of the individual projects financed by CERV they can vary a lot, based on the specific sector involved and the Work Plan adopted on a biennial basis by the Commission. For example, projects can be aimed at:
- promote non-discrimination and gender equality
- safeguard children's rights
- preserve European history
- encourage civic engagement
- fight racism and all forms of discrimination
- fight gender-based violence or violence against children and assist victims
- strengthen the rule of law through democratic dialogue and transparency
- support and strengthen civil society organisations.
Similarly, the types of possible activities are also particularly broad and diversified, as long as they are always aimed at achieving the Program objectives. Based on the work plan of the projects presented, it is in fact possible to organize, for example, but not only:
- training activities, workshops, seminars and conferences
- exchange of good practices and workshops between citizens/organisations of different countries
- twinning and partnerships between cities
- awareness or information campaigns
- debates.
Equality, Rights and Gender Equality
The objective of this Program initiative is the prevention and mitigation of inequalities and discrimination based on criteria such as sex, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
The projects financed in this context must concretely pursue the following objectives:
- promoting the full exercise of women's rights, the realization of gender equality, including work-life balance, the empowerment of women and the integration of the gender perspective in policies and society.
- the promotion of non-discrimination and integration.
- the fight against any form of racism, xenophobia, afrophobia, anti-semitism, islamophobia, anti-gypsyism and any manifestation of intolerance, including homophobia, bisphobia, transphobia, interphobia and intolerance based on gender identity, including in its online manifestations.
- the protection of children's and adolescents' rights, the strengthening of child protection systems and the application of children's rights in judicial proceedings.
- the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities to encourage their active inclusion and full participation in society.
- the defense of the rights of Union citizens, also through support for organizations operating in this sector and the promotion of knowledge of the tools for their implementation.
Involvement and participation of citizens
This initiative of the Program is structured around three main themes that derive from the history and evolution of previous actions and programs of the European Union, which today merge into the CERV.
The first theme aims to commemorate significant moments in modern European history, including the episodes of rise to power of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, analyzing the causes and consequences associated with such events and drawing inspiration from them for the construction of democratic processes that prevent the recurrence of totalitarianism.
Furthermore, projects are promoted aimed at raising awareness among European citizens about history, culture, cultural heritage and shared values, in order to improve their understanding of the European Union, its origins, its objectives, its diversity and of the results obtained, underlining the importance of mutual understanding and tolerance.
The second line of action aims to promote and support the active participation of citizens and representative associations in the democratic and civic life of the European Union, allowing them to express and share their opinions publicly in all spheres of action of the Union, thus encouraging forms of democratic participation.
Finally, the third objective is to encourage exchanges between citizens from different countries, in particular through the establishment of town twinning and the creation of networks. These initiatives allow citizens to tangibly experience the richness and diversity of the shared heritage of the European Union, raising awareness of its importance as a solid foundation for a common future.
Daphne:
Within this initiative, the Program aims to achieve the following objectives:
- prevent and combat, at all levels, any form of gender violence aimed at women and girls, as well as any manifestation of domestic violence. This commitment also includes promoting the regulations established by the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, commonly known as the Istanbul Convention;
- prevent and combat all forms of violence aimed at minors, young people and other vulnerable groups, including LGBTIQ people and people with disabilities;
- support and protect all direct and indirect victims of these forms of violence. This includes victims of domestic violence, both within the family context and in intimate relationships, and also children who are orphaned as a result of domestic crimes. It also aims to guarantee a uniform level of protection for victims of gender violence across the European Union.
Values of the Union
As part of this initiative, the Program aims to promote and protect rights and raise awareness among citizens, through the granting of financial support for the promotion of projects in this sector and to support civil society organizations that deal with them in stable way.
Furthermore, the Program aims to protect and promote the fundamental values of the European Union, including respect for the rule of law and access to the rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. These efforts will help consolidate the Union as a democratic entity, promoting democratic dialogue, transparency and good governance.
This guide was created as part of the annual work plan of the European network IGNet, co-financed by the European Union. The content of this guide reflects the views only of the authors and neither the European Commission nor any of its agencies can be held responsible for its content or any use made of it. The content of this guide has no official value for the purposes of submitting applications and projects, for which only the official guides of the individual programmes and initiatives are valid.