Citizen’s engagement and participation entails the right of every citizen to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to vote and to be elected, the right to have access to public services, among other things. It also contributes to public unity and helps citizens to feel more included in society and public life. Citizen’s engagement is closely linked to various human rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to peaceful assembly, the right to free election and the prohibition of discrimination.
Promoting citizens' and representative associations’ participation in the democratic and civic life of the Union is at the core of the CERV programme. The European Democracy Action Plan, the EU Citizenship report 2020, or the Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU are among the policy initiatives supported by CERV.
How do we engage citizens to fight for something they know very little about ? The CERV-funded project called ‘chARTer’ aims to raise awareness and spark conversations about fundamental human rights through art. The purpose is to use artwork as inspiration to a broad public to interact in the debate on our common fundamental rights.
Art works well as a medium to enter conversations on rights – conversations, that often can be difficult to access and engage in otherwise. The creative angle on fundamental rights makes the topic more relatable and enables everybody to take part in the conversation.
All events under the ChARTer project consist of talks on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights mixed with workshops and quizzes to involve mainly young students. Young people have also the opportunity to get familiar with the international exhibition The Art of Fundamental Rights. This exhibition consists of 13 artworks by professional artists from across Europe, each interpreting the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights through different art forms. The works of art are of high professional quality and are made by both established and upcoming artists, each using different materials, art, and forms of expression.
All the information regarding the 2023 exhibitions and the artwork can be found at ART OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS | EU Rights.
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