The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in Practice

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union which became legally binding in December 2009 is a key legal instrument for the protection of fundamental rights in Europe having a great impact on other branches of law.

Within the framework of the Justice Programme Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of DG Justice the Academy of European Law has already implemented two projects involving the training of legal professionals of the Member States on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The projects are co-financed by the European Commission and aim to bring light to the application and interpretation of the Charter and to highlight its relevance and potential for the daily work of legal practitioners.

The project to be implemented in 2017, titled “How to apply the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: Focus on Union citizens’ rights”, consists of five decentralised seminars spread across the EU. Each session will group participants from several Member States, in certain cases from selected legal professions, in order to allow for an optimal exchange of national experiences and to enhance networking possibilities. For every event, a specific programme will be carefully conceived for the selected target group and a focus will be chosen accordingly.

The new series represent a great opportunity for legal practitioners of the European Union interested in the topic. They will be able to improve and update their knowledge about the Charter of Fundamental Rights, discussing with experts from across Europe the most relevant practical issues and recent developments in the field. It will allow them to be part of a European network of legal professionals with an interest in the protection of fundamental rights.

Key topics

• Legal value of the Charter
• The relevance of the Charter for the national legal order
• Content and scope of the Charter
• Hints on application and interpretation of the Charter
• Relationship with the European Convention of Human Rights and other human rights provisions

Interactive methodology

• Case studies on the scope of application of the Charter
• Group discussions
• Workshop on substantive application of Charter provisions

Target group

• Lawyers in private practice and other legal professionals
• Members of the judiciary