Europe : Fundamental Rights Agency material and resources on the Charter

Online tools: Charterpedia and Charter e-learning courses

• Charterpedia: the Agency’s encyclopedia on the EU CharterCharterpedia offers the main entry point to the Agency’s work on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and a wide range of information (including national and European case law) on each and every Charter provision.
• Case studies: a place for legal practitioners and law studentsThis course can be used as a support for a face-to-face course or as a standalone course. It aims to help legal practitioners, law students and legal experts assess how the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is applied in a range of policy areas. Eight concrete cases as decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) are presented together with questions about the applicability of the Charter in each one.
• E-guidance: step-by-step guidance and concrete examplesThese courses provide guidance on the field of application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The guidance allows a judge or legal practitioner to check a specific case by answering a series of questions to determine the applicability of the Charter. Concrete examples demonstrate the field of application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the sense of its Article 51(1).
• Case law databaseThe database is a compilation of case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) with direct references to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, as well as a selection of national case law with direct references to the Charter from all EU Member States.

Publications: Reports, papers, handbooks

• Annual Fundamental Rights Report: assessing the Charter’s ‘national life’Every year, the Agency’s Fundamental Rights Report contains a chapter specifically dedicated to the use of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union at national level. Here you find how the Charter was applied in a given reporting period: 2020 ; 2019 ; 2018 ; 2017 ; 2016 ; 2015 ; 2014 ; 2013 ; 2012
• 2021 trainers’ manual: how to provide Charter training to legal practitionerThis trainers’ manual provides practical advice on the design and methodology that can be used in Charter training. It works with 8 Charter case studies, including background information for trainers and handouts for participants.)
• 2020 Anniversary paper: ‘Ten years on: unlocking the Charter’s full potential‘This focus paper takes a closer look at the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the years 2009-2019. It is available in English; French; German; Polish; Portuguese; Slovenian.
• 2019 Paper: the views of civil society and national human rights institutionsThis paper published on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union examines how the Charter is used by Civil society organizations (CSOs) and national human rights institutions (NHRIs).
• 2018 Charter Handbook: guidance on why and when to apply the CharterThe handbook provides guidance on the applicability of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is available in 22 languages.
• 2018 Legal opinion: the implementation of the Charter, including by EU agenciesWith this legal opinion requested by the European Parliament, the Agency has contributed to the Parliament’s own-initiative report on the “Implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the EU institutional framework”. It focuses on EU agencies.
• FRA / ECtHR European case law handbooks: twinning Strasbourg and LuxembourgThe Agency produces thematic handbooks in close cooperation with European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and with documentary support of the Court of Justice of the European Union. These handbooks provide information and analysis on case law related to both the ECHR and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
• Outcome document of the 10th anniversary event organized by the European Commission, EU Presidency and FRA in 2019The conference co-organized by the Agency, the European Commission and the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council took place on 12 November 2019.
• Conference Report of Charter conference organized by the EU Presidency and FRA
  The conference “Brining the Charter to life” was organised by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the FRA on 15 and 16 March 2012.

Capacity building: tools, training, e-learning courses

• E-guidance: step-by-step guidance and concrete examplesThese courses provide guidance on the field of application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The guidance allows a judge or legal practitioner to check a specific case by answering a series of questions to determine the applicability of the Charter. Concrete examples demonstrate the field of application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the sense of its Article 51(1).
• Case studies: e-courseThis course can be used as a support for a face-to-face course or as a standalone course. It aims to help legal practitioners, law students and legal experts assess how the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is applied in a range of policy areas. Eight concrete cases as decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) are presented together with questions about the applicability of the Charter in each one.
• Case studies: trainers’ areaTraining material on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The trainers’ area takes you to a course aimed at legal experts who wish to host workshops on the application of the Charter. This section contains a comprehensive trainers’ manual with practical advice on the design and methodology that can be used in training, additional training material, and more.
• 2018 Charter Handbook: guidance on why and when to apply the CharterThe handbook provides guidance on the applicability of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is available in 22 languages.
• How to use the Charter?
  Takeaways for Equality Bodies and NHRIs. The “takeaways” summarise the findings of a virtual seminar on the role of the Charter in the work of Equality Bodies and National Human Rights Institutions, which took place from 20 to 22 October 2021. (available on ENHHRI website).

Communicating the Charter: Awareness raising material

• Charter Country SheetsWhat is the standing of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in your country? Member States have an explicit duty to promote the Charter’s application. The country sheets support that effort by giving – in English and the respective national language—on a few pages examples of the Charter’s use and added value.
• Reinforcing the Charter—online event (2020): key statements of panellistsVideo recording n taken from FRA/Euractiv online event ‘Reinforcing the EU Charter: rights of people in the EU in the next decade’ (7 December 2020). See also: Reinforcing the EU Charter event website.
• Videos—Apply the Charter 5 minutes for the interested public ‘Apply the Charter, deliver our Rights’ was produced in 2019 and provides basic information on all six themes of the Charter.

  90 seconds on various themes. The different parts of the video ‘Apply the Charter, deliver our Rights’ are also available in separate 90-second video-clips (on dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights and justice).

• The Charter’s untapped potential, nationally – Infographic 2019The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is the EU’s bill of human rights. These rights and principles have to be respected and promoted by EU institutions and Member States whenever they act within EU law. Approaching the Charter’s 10th anniversary, Member States do not yet make full use of the potential it offers.