Each project application under this call must address only one of the following priorities. Applicants wishing to apply for more than one priority must submit a separate proposal under each priority.

Priority 1: Capacity building and awareness raising on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

The projects funded under this priority should address the capacity building and awareness raising needs on the Charter. In particular, relevant projects should focus on raising awareness and building capacity on at least one of the following topics: the Charter in general and/or the contents of an individual Charter right or several of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter; the Charter’s scope of application; the remedies available in cases of breaches of the Charter rights8 . In accordance with its Article 51, the Charter is applicable to Member States only when they are implementing EU law. Given the specific scope of application of this instrument, unlike that of international human rights agreements, and considering the increasing number of references to the Charter in the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, there is a specific need to promote an understanding of when the Charter applies, i.e. when EU law is being implemented, and of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter

Priority 2: Promoting rights and values by empowering the civic space

In line with the Charter Strategy and following up to the Charter Report 2022 on a thriving civic space for upholding fundamental rights in the EU, as well as the findings of the 2023 seminars and concluding conference, projects under this priority should promote rights and values by empowering civil society actors to work together at the local, regional and national levels in the fields covered by the programme. Projects should also help to create or strengthen channels of communication with the EU level, to report on the state of the civic space in their countries and voice their concerns. More specifically, projects could create a systematic and comprehensive monitoring system to regularly and consistently monitor the environment in which civil society organisations work in the national contexts. Such projects should build on and align as closely as possible to existing monitoring activities. Projects could also support and enhance the protection of civil society organisations, their members and human rights defenders working to protect and promote EU values under attack, including by facilitating access to dedicated support services.

Priority 3: Strategic litigation

Projects under this priority should, through training, knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices, strengthen the knowledge and ability of civil society organisations and human rights defenders 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).

Priority 4: Protecting EU values and rights by combating hate speech and hate crime

Projects under this priority could establish mechanisms of cooperation between civil society organisations and public authorities, in particular to support the reporting and recording of episodes of hate crime and hate speech; and to ensure support to victims of hate speech and hate crime. Projects could also support law enforcement and justice professionals, including through training or data collection methodologies and tools. Projects could also focus on participatory initiatives involving citizens and stakeholders in public spaces, as well as students in school contexts; on activities to tackle hate speech online, including reporting content to IT companies; tools for detection of hate speech on social media; and to design effective awareness raising campaigns and educational activities to address the societal challenges of hate speech online

Priority 5: Supporting an enabling environment for the protection of whistleblowers

Projects under this priority should thus aim at building the capacity of civil society organisations to contribute to creating a favourable environment for whistleblowers, in particular by providing advice and support to whistleblowers, and by cooperating with private companies, national authorities and legal practitioners to ensure the effective operation of existing reporting channels and provision of adequate legal remedies to whistleblowers

The following activities can be covered:

• Capacity-building and awareness raising on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
• Promoting rights and values by empowering the civic space
• Strategic litigation
• Protecting EU values and rights by combating hate speech and hate crime
• Supporting an enabling environment for the protection of whistleblowers

For all topics the projects’ design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation are expected to mainstream fundamental rights as enshrined in the Charter, including freedom of expression, (gender) equality and non-discrimination, rights of the child, or right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial.

Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

For more information about the activities that can be funded under the priorities can be found on pages 11-14 of the call document (see the link under the “Further information” section).

For (Priority 1): CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI-CHARTER the budget is: €3.600.000.
For (Priority 2): CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI- CIVIC the budget is: €3.500.000.
For (Priority 3): CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI-LITIGATION the budget is: €2.400.000.
For (Priority 4): CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI-SPEECH the budget is: €6.000.000.
For (Priority 5): CERV-2025-CHAR-LITI-WHISTLE the budget is: €2.500.000.