CoR rapporteur meeting with the Legal Service, European Commission

On the 2nd March 2021 the CoR rapporteur met Mr.. Ronkes Agerbeek, member of the Legal Service of the European Commission.
During the meetings were discussed legal aspects related to the state of play of the negotiations on the EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Meeting with representatives of the Fundamental Rights Agency

In preparation of his opinion, Mr. Vanraes, CoR rapporteur on the Communication the ''Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU'' had a meeting with the representatives of the Fundamental Rights Agency, Gabriel Toggenburg, policy coordinator, EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Geraldine Guille, Supporting Human Rights Systems, Technical Assistance & Capacity Building.
During the meeting was highlighted the role of local and regional authorities and of the Committee of the Regions in the implementation of the Charter strategy at local and regional level.

Meeting with the representatives of the European Commission

In preparation of his opinion, Mr. Vanraes, CoR rapporteur on the Communication the ''Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU'' had a meeting with the representatives of the European Commission, Ms. Barbara Nolan, Head of Unit, DG Just, unit in charge of Fundamental Rights Policy and Ms. Nathalie Stockwell, Policy coordinator.
During the meeting, were presented the main points of the communication, highliting the role of local and regional authorities and of the Committee of the Regions in the implementation of the Charter strategy.

Attending the ''Reinforcing the EU Charter: Rights of people in the EU in the next decade'' online event

On 7 December, it was 20 years since the proclamation of the EU Charter of fundamental rights (EU Charter) by the Presidents of the EU institutions. On that day, the EU Agency for fundamental rights (FRA), in partnership with the European Commission, held a virtual conference.

European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, in charge of the revised strategy for the Charter’s implementation, President of the EU Court of Justice Koen Lenaerts and FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty discussed about the need for collective efforts to reinforce application of the EU Charter.

The aim was to encourage EU and national policymakers, legal practitioners, and other relevant stakeholders to better apply the EU Charter nationally. It showcased FRA Charter assistance and products, as well as case law that highlights the relevance of the EU Charter for national actors.