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 support and protect whistleblowers and build capacity of national authorities and legal practitioners to ensure adequate legal remedies to protect whistleblowers.

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Call detail

A Union of values and rights is also based on effective law enforcement systems and the effective detection, investigation and prosecution of breaches of Union law. Support will be given to creating an enabling environment for reporting and informing on breaches of the Union law, in particular by building capacity on the effective application of the Directive on whistleblower protection (Directive (EU) 2019/1937). This Directive provides for an obligation to establish internal and external reporting channels, a strict obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the reporting person as well as for high standards of protection from retaliation and legal remedies for whistleblowers who report on breaches of EU law in a wide range of key policy areas, thus promoting the fundamental values of the rule of law and democracy as well as the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter.

Civil society organisations play a crucial role in help ensuring an effective implementation of these legal standards. Projects under this priority should support and protect whistleblowers and build capacity of national authorities and legal practitioners to ensure adequate legal remedies to protect whistleblowers.

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Activities funded

The following activities can be covered:

• Capacity building activities to enhance the effective implementation of the national laws in force transposing the Directive on Whistleblower protection. This may include activities aimed at building the capacity of civil society organisations active in this field and/or the capacity of national, regional, or local public authorities, legal practitioners and private organisations working in partnership with civil society organisations, including by developing targeted guidance or training materials or train-the-trainer programmes;
• Activities and tools to promote awareness raising and communication activities to increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of the national laws transposing the Directive on Whistleblower protection, of the existence of the internal and external reporting channels and the legal remedies and measures of protection available in case retaliation occurs;
• Analytical activities, such as data collection on whistleblower reports and cases of retaliation, development of indicators to effectively record cases and research, in particular on caselaw and the creation of tools or other databases (e.g. on the collection of the data mentioned above and thematic databases of jurisprudence);
• Mutual learning activities and activities aimed at exchange of good practices on the effective implementation of the Directive on Whistleblower protection, in particular as regards the establishment of internal or external reporting channels, handling of whistleblowing reports, effective measures to ensure confidentiality and the application of adequate legal remedies for the protection of whistleblowers against retaliation and of support measures for whistleblowers;
• Activities enhancing and facilitating cooperation between national, regional or local authorities and civil society organisations, including by elaborating national, regional or local protocols on whistleblower protection or contributing to the review of the national system of whistleblower protection.

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Expected impact

• Increased awareness and understanding by the general public and by potential whistleblowers of the existing reporting channels and procedures, as well as of the rights provided under the Directive on whistleblower protection, thus fostering an increased and effective implementation of the national laws transposing the Directive;
• Increased capacity and knowledge of civil society and, if where relevant of other representatives, such as national authorities or practitioners active in the field of whistleblowing protection, to correctly apply the Directive’s rules addressed to private organisations and public entities;
• Improved effectiveness and coherence of the Directive’s application, including through improved cooperation between national, regional or local authorities and civil society;
• Enhanced data collection on whistleblower reports and cases of retaliation and enhanced capacity of the national systems to record whistleblower reports and cases and to assess the effectiveness of the national laws transposing the Directive.

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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.