GRACE

Objectives

The GRACE project aims to level up the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Member States, which have been vulnerable to a deterioration in the application of fundamental rights and the rule of law in recent years, namely Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. The GRACE project addresses the low awareness of the application of the Charter among the public and the national administration, which directly impacts the state of fundamental rights in the participating countries. By conducting capacity-building activities for both State-level and local administrations, as well as CSOs, and establishing a systematic and comprehensive monitoring mechanism for Charter implementation, the GRACE project seeks to evaluate and bridge existing gaps; advocate for appropriate reforms; and raise public awareness of the critical importance of respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Charter. The project aims to foster cooperation among civil society organisations, national and local authorities and the general public, ensuring that fundamental rights are not only protected and respected, but also actively promoted, leading to more inclusive, transparent and effective policymaking in the selected EU Member States.

The project consortium is led by the Center for Regulatory Impact Assessment (CRIA), Bulgaria and includes, in addition to ECAS, the following partners:

• Center for Regulatory Impact Assessment (CRIA) (Bulgaria)
• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
• Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE) (Romania)
• Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (Greece)

• ECAS will lead Work Package 4 and will implement, with the support of all partners, the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy by carrying out the digital public-awareness campaign and organising workshops during the EESC Civil Society Week.
• ECAS will be establishing the GRACE project’s on-line repository of community of practice. This repository will include good practices and guidelines on organising training on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (on the scope and the specific provisions on equality and non-discrimination, racism, xenophobia and hate speech towards structurally marginalised and racialised groups).
• ECAS will lead the network-building of interested stakeholders (CSOs and public administrations) to commit to long-term monitoring and sound implementation of the Charter in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.
• ECAS will develop an online course to ensure the sustainability of the GRACE project knowledge.
• ECAS will lead the development of the methodology for the Charter Implementation Index.
• ECAS will allocate the time to ensure sound implementation of all GRACE project activities aimed at gender balance, diversity, accessibility and inclusion.