Brussels time
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.
This call aims to preserve and reinforce the memory of the Shoah as a central European legacy, especially in the face of rising Holocaust distortion, politicization, and antisemitism.
The Shoah is a defining legacy for the EU. Six million Jewish children, women and men were murdered, and all others were persecuted. While other groups were persecuted, the Nazis have set up across Europe and beyond a state policy with the sole aim to kill every single Jews they could find.
First-hand accounts of the Shoah continue to have the most powerful impact on following generations. As there are less and less survivors to share the story of their survival, the importance of memorial sites and education increases, as well as the work done by second and third generations of survivors and associations.
Current events show the growing instrumentalization of the Holocaust by Kremlin propaganda claiming to denazify Ukraine. In parallel, there is also a politicization of the Holocaust in several EU Member States, and a tendency to minimize the atrocities of the Shoah. In addition, since the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas, we have seen a growing conflation of the Shoah with the conflicts in the Middle East. Citizens should be empowered to counter this conflation.
Holocaust distortion fuels antisemitism. In addition, hate speech relating to the condoning, denial or gross trivialisation of the Holocaust is prohibited under the Council Framework Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.
Wounds of mass atrocities of the 20th century are still open today, fuelling divergences among Europeans. Free, open and independent research, education and memory on all aspects of the Shoah is essential to increase understanding. This includes telling the story of collaborators, bystanders, and saviours. This implies exploring Europe’s negative history with the aim to reconcile divergent and alternative regional and national narratives related to the Shoah and its immediate aftermath.
European citizens should become ambassadors of this memory. Teachers, policy-makers, university students (especially history students) could be among key target audiences and be empowered to develop a common European history, to counter historical falsification, distortion and inversion. Target groups could include newcomers and migrants that do not have a direct link with the Shoah. Target groups could also include journalists, to raise awareness about Holocaust distortion and Holocaust-related contemporary events (such as for example Neo-Nazi marches).
In line with the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life (2021-2030), as well as with other key policy initiatives, this topic supports projects that can focus on developing networks of Young European Ambassadors to promote Shoah remembrance. This topic will also support projects that develop and support networks that use places of memory, ‘where the Holocaust happened’ for educational purposes.
Projects under this topic could focus on:
For further information about the call and its conditions, please see the call document.
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
For lead applicants (i.e., the “Coordinator”):
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 public entities, private non-profit organisations or with international organisations
+ be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
Other eligibility conditions:
Projects can be either national or transnational.
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 2 applicants (lead applicant ("Coordinator") and at least one co-applicant, not being affiliated entity or associated partner).
Projects should normally range between 12 and 24 months.
EUR 9.000.000
The minimum grant requested cannot be lower than EUR 50.000
Brussels time