Funding programme

Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) is the EU's funding programme for citizens' engagement and the implementation of EU rights and values. It replaces both Europe for Citizens and the Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme.

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Call overview

This call aims to promote rights and values by empowering civil society actors to work together at the local, regional and national levels.

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Call detail

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 on the fields covered by the programme. Projects should also help creating a channel 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, building on the Fundamental Rights Agency indicators about the shrinking civic space and of internal organisations’ data, and in particular of breaches of civil society organisations and human rights defenders’ fundamental rights.

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. As such, they could also contribute to strengthening the resilience of civil society actors against attacks, including cyber threats, and their capacity to fully exploit the possibilities of the converged media to carry out effective, visible and impactful advocacy activities in the digital environment.

Transnational partnerships with mutual learning possibilities for partners in several EU Member States are particularly encouraged to apply, as well as networks of relevant actors at national level such as National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), equality bodies, Ombuds-institutions, and the national Charter Focal Points.

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Activities funded

The following activities can be covered:

• Analytical activities and creation of a methodology to monitor the civic space in EU Member States, including activities to: encourage and facilitate cooperation and coordination between all actors potentially involved in such monitoring activities; enhance the capacity of staff – in particular within civil society organisations – to carry out monitoring activities;
• Mutual learning, exchange of good practices, including those that may be transferable to other countries;
• Communication activities, including dissemination of information and awareness raising about the state of play on civic space, including towards the EU level;
• Capacity building for civil society organisations on monitoring the civic space, including developments of tools and services to: Support and protect civil society organisations, their members as well as human rights defenders working to protect and promote EU values, facing threats and under attacks; Facilitate access to special procedures or channels to report threats and attacks, and document and analyse the environment in which civil society organisations work; Ensure that existing victim support services and emergency helplines are available and tailored to individuals working for civil society organisations and persons close to them when their safety is under a credible actual or potential risk due to their work.
• Development of synergies and protocols of cooperation among the actors working to protect the civic space at local, regional, national and European level and between them and the national and European authorities.

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Expected impact

• Increased awareness about the state of play on civic space in the EU Member States based on sound evidences and comparable indicators;
• Strengthened relations and creation of networks among the actors protecting the civic space at local, national and European level, and between them and the national and European authorities;
• Increased dialogue about the civic space, with an increment of public attention to it, and developed positive narratives towards CSOs and rights defenders protecting and promoting fundamental rights, rule of law and democracy;
• More protected CSOs, their members and rights defenders working in a safe environment;
• Increased reporting of attacks faced by the targeted actors and more prompt and targeted response;
• Increased resilience of civil society organisations and human rights defenders against threats and attacks, including online.

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Eligibility

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 for profit legal entities (public or private bodies). Organisations which are for profit 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 (EU Member States);
• The EU grant applied for cannot be lower than EUR 75 000.

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Consortium composition

The project can be either national or transnational; the application may involve one or more organisations (lead applicant and co-applicants).

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Project duration

Projects should normally range between 12 and 24 months.