The Fundamental Rights Forum organised by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) opened in Vienna (Austria) on Monday 11 March. This annual two-day meeting was inaugurated by an opening session attended by various representatives, including the European Commissioner for Values, Věra Jourová, who is currently in Austria as part of her European tour dedicated to democracy (see EUROPE 13360/31).
The forum, which is structured around three types of event (high-level debates, meetings dedicated to networking and the sharing of ideas, and masterclasses and technical presentations), is intended as a unique platform for reflection, the sharing of experience and collective action towards building a vision of hope for human rights in Europe, on the eve of the European elections.
It brings together a host of influential figures: political decision-makers, opinion leaders, human rights defenders, as well as business leaders and artists, to work towards a common goal: the promotion of human rights at EU level.
And with good reason, the 2024 edition of the Forum is focusing on major challenges in this area, including the impact of climate change, technological advances and threats to democracy and civic space.
On this occasion, the Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, took part remotely in a working group dedicated to the defence of individual rights and the rule of law.
In his speech, Commissioner Reynders stressed the importance of protecting the rule of law as the foundation of freedom, democracy, equality and respect for human rights within the EU.
The European Commissioner also pointed out that the annual report on the rule of law, which assesses the situation in each Member State, has become a key preventive tool, enabling challenges to be identified at an early stage so that they do not get worse. According to Mr Reynders, 65% of the recommendations issued over the last 2 years have been followed, in part or in full, by the Member States, demonstrating the positive impact of this tool.
In addition, the Commission has various tools at its disposal to react to violations of the rule of law, as the Commissioner for Justice has stated, such as conditionality linked to the rule of law, which restricts access to EU funds for Member States with manifest backward steps.
Finally, Didier Reynders also stressed the Commission’s commitment to protecting citizens’ fundamental rights by supporting the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the promotion of civic space in Europe. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)