General Programme "Fundamental rights and justice": specific programme "Fundamental rights and citizenship", 2007-2013

The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Inger SEGELSTRÖM (PES, SV), by 476 votes for, 41 against and 30 abstentions. It largely approved the position taken by its competent committee on the “Fundamental rights and justice” specific programme, whilst bearing in mind the deliberations in Council. Parliament approved a series of amendments seeking to clarify the proposal. In its consolidated version, the following amendments are integrated into the text:

- the Programme must be implemented within the scope of application of Community law;

Parliament emphasised that the aims include strengthening civil society and encouraging an open, transparent and regular dialogue with it in respect of fundamental rights;

- specific objectives now include: to create relevant structures in order to foster an interfaith and multicultural dialogue at the level of European Union;

- operating grants may co-finance expenditure associated with the permanent work programme of the Conference of the European Constitutional Courts and the Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the EU, insofar as the expenditure is incurred in pursuing an objective of general European interest by promoting exchanges of views and experience; 

- the objectives of the programme should be complementary to those of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and should focus on those areas where European added-value can be engendered;

- any duplication between the actions supported by this programme and the activities of international organisations competent in the field of Fundamental Rights, such as the Council of Europe, should be avoided, while permitting joint activities for the achievement of the objectives of this programme. Appropriate co-ordination should be undertaken to these ends;

- participating countries include the Western Balkan countries included in the stabilisation and association process, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the association agreements.

- Parliament clarified certain provisions relating to comitology;

- it insisted on better monitoring by the Commission at all levels of implementation.

Lastly, the programme may support specific trans-national projects of Community interest presented by an authority or any other body of a Member State, an international or non-governmental organisation, and involving in any case at least two Member States (and not three, as the Commission had suggested) or at least one Member State and one other state which may either be an acceding or a candidate country, under the conditions set out in the annual work programmes.