With an allocation of 641.71 million euros, the 2021-2027 CERV program funds actions for citizen engagement, the promotion of universal equality, and the implementation of EU rights and values.
The CERV program in detail
Its objective is to safeguard and uphold the rights and values outlined in the EU Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and relevant international human rights conventions. Special emphasis is placed on encouraging the involvement of national, regional, and local civil society organizations.
The program is split into four strands, each proposing activities to foster citizens' engagement in the field of rights and democratic participation:
- Union values strand: safeguard and advocate for Union values;
- Equality, rights and gender equality strand: advocate for rights, non-discrimination, and equality, encompassing gender equality, and facilitate the integration of gender mainstreaming and non-discrimination;
- Citizens' engagement and participation strand: encourage citizens' engagement and active participation in the Union's democratic life, foster exchanges between individuals from different Member States, and raise awareness of their shared European history
- Daphne strand: prevent and combat gender-based and children violence.
The report focuses on the third strand results, the one under the EP CULT Commission direct management. This strand counts on a 357 million euro budget, 65% of which is allotted to democratic participation and 15% to remembrance activities.
The Strand 3 results
Being a recently constituted program, the rapporteur underlines that this assessment would have covered the implementation situations in the proposed projects despite the ongoing crises. The preliminary assessment of projects under CERV Strand 3 suggests that a considerable portion of them align with three primary challenges of climate change, digitalization, and addressing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the program level, it can be tentatively inferred that the primary objectives of CERV remain pertinent and contribute to addressing key challenges within the EU. Promoting democratic dialogue plays a role in implementing EU strategies related to issues such as climate change, digitalization, autonomy, and more.
On the other side, the Commission underlined the late implementation of the program, since it was adopted laggardly. Some projects even suffered operational issues, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ICT issues. Despite this, project applications and implementations are now picking back up.
The road to future developments
Additional challenges in the initial stages of program implementation pertain to the necessity for an improved supportive institutional environment. This enhancement is crucial for the program to achieve its goals more effectively. Stakeholders have specifically called for measures addressing the reduction of civil spaces and the revitalization of civil dialogue, emphasizing the collective dimension of civic engagement.
The resolution passed with 476 positive votes, 130 negatives, and 14 abstentions.
