CharterNet: European Network for Fundamental Rights

CharterNet – European Network for Fundamental Rights brings the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights closer to the people who can put it into practice.

Across eight EU Member States – Germany, France, Denmark, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Poland and Malta – CharterNet strengthens knowledge of fundamental rights and builds the capacity of civil society, public institutions and communities to protect and promote them. This is urgently needed: according to the 2023 Eurobarometer, only 12% of EU citizens understand when and how the Charter applies.

At the heart of CharterNet is a European network bringing together civil society organisations, grassroots initiatives, institutional actors, key rights enforcers and representatives of groups particularly affected by fundamental rights challenges, including women, young people, people with disabilities, migrants, Roma and LGBTQIA+ people.

Through 8 transnational Multiplier Panels, participants explore the different chapters of the Charter, exchange experiences and good practices, and develop recommendations for making fundamental rights better known and more accessible. These European perspectives are then brought to the local level through 8 Co-create Europe events, where participants adapt the recommendations to their own contexts and jointly develop creative, low-threshold formats for promoting and applying fundamental rights in their communities and public services.

Together with a Europe-wide digital campaign, CharterNet turns the Charter from a legal document into a practical tool for everyday rights protection – connecting people across Europe and empowering them to know, use and stand up for their rights.