By establishing a wide range of individual, civil, political, economic, and social rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union plays a crucial role in fostering a “culture of rights” throughout Europe. The Charter is seen as a political reference tool, guiding the implementation and execution of public policies, and a guarantor in the protection and promotion of fundamental rights, involving political actors and civil society as a whole.

The effectiveness of the Charter as a means of promoting and safeguarding fundamental rights is directly linked to how it is implemented and integrated into public policies and mobilised by civil society. In this sense, the series “The Charter of Fundamental Rights in Action” aims to promote the relevance of this instrument for the work of public entities and civil society, particularly in terms of designing legislation and developing actions aimed at protecting fundamental rights.

This series consists of three events dedicated to pressing issues for Portuguese society: the inclusion of people with disabilities, the challenges of the judicial system in responding to crimes of domestic violence, and the fight against racism and xenophobia. Two of the events are open to the public, while the other is organised in a closed workshop format with the participation of judicial and legal actors. The aim is to reflect on the political relevance of the Charter and explore the challenges to its current and potential application, with the goal of promoting the construction of a more inclusive society.

It is part of the project “FAIR - EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: Awareness raising and Instruments to promote a culture of Rights”, implemented in Portugal by the Permanent Observatory for Justice (OPJ) of the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, which is taking place in nine European Union countries under the coordination of Fondazioni Giacomo Brodolini (Italy) and funded by the European Union.
 

Organisers

Permanent Observatory for Justice - Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra 
opj@ces.uc.pt
(+351) 239 855 570 / (+351) 914 140 187
https://opj.ces.uc.pt/