Brussels, 16/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Justice and Fundamental Rights Commissioner Viviane Reding proposed, on Tuesday 15 November, simplifying the funding programmes for the period 2014-2020, bringing forward two new programmes - “Justice” and “Rights and Citizenship” - to replace the existing six programmes. These two programmes, Reding said, would cut red tape and be more efficiently managed. They will run with a proposed budget of €803 million (a 1.4% increase on the previous period).
The Justice Programme will have a budget of €416 million and will seek to ensure EU legislation in civil and criminal justice is effectively applied. This will help ensure proper access to justice for people and businesses in cross-border legal cases in Europe and support EU actions to tackle drugs and crime. The Rights and Citizenship Programme, with a budget of €387 million, will “help to make people's rights and freedoms effective in practice by making them better known and more consistently applied across the EU”. It will also promote the rights of the child, the principles of non discrimination (racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation) and gender equality (including projects to combat violence against women and children). (SP/transl.rt)