| MS | Title | Partners | Description | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | Human Rights Working Group and Human Rights Roundtable –institutionalised cooperation with civil society |
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The Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) (Emberi Jogi Munkacsoport) was set up by the government in 2012 as a consultative body to be run by the Ministry of Justice. Its main tasks are to monitor the implementation of human rights policy in Hungary; to consult with civil-society organisations, advocacy and professional organisations and constitutional bodies; and to facilitate professional communication on the implementation of human rights in Hungary. The 10 members of the HRWG are senior political and professional leaders who represent the ministries of the Hungarian government. The HRWG also runs a Human Rights Roundtable (HRR) (Emberi Jogi Kerekasztal). The purpose of the HRR is to consult civil-society, advocacy and professional organisations focusing on human rights in Hungary and to formulate recommendations on the HRWG’s activities and tasks. Currently, 76 non-governmental organisations are members of the HRR and a further 46 participate in meetings of the round table’s thematic working groups as consultants. The HRR also has a number of permanent guest members. It also has eight thematic working groups, each of which is dedicated to addressing the legal and practical problems of vulnerable groups and to making policy proposals:
To improve the HRWG’s interactions with statuary human rights bodies, civil-society actors and the executive branch of government, representatives of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights and the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information also attend its meetings. According to the minutes of the thematic working groups’ meetings, these meetings often include lively debates and give non-governmental organisations the opportunity to express their views on government measures and forthcoming legislation. However, some criticisms of the HRR have also been raised. |
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| Hungary | Hungarian Helsinki Committee –Strong embeddedness at the EU and international levels |
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Founded in 1989, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) (Magyar Helsinki Bizottság) is a public-benefit human rights organisation that protects human dignity through legal and public activities. Its work primarily focuses on monitoring law enforcement activities and protecting the rule of law, the rights of refugees, the rights of detainees and fairness in the criminal justice system. The HHC’s close ties with EU and international groups deserve attention for the purpose of transnational learning. The HHC is regularly consulted by relevant Members of the European Parliament, European Parliament committees (e.g. the Frontex Scrutiny Working Group of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE Committee)) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (e.g. the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons). Its considerable interaction with EU and international stakeholders is also reflected in the fact that the HHC contributes to all major regional and international reporting cycles, including the Universal Periodic Review and reports of the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants on pushbacks. In addition, the HHC has filed a number of motions to, among other bodies, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Furthermore, the HHC has been participating in domestic and international EU-funded projects focusing on the Charter. For example,CharterWiseis a project that aims tomake the Charter a leading human rights litigation tool in Hungary. Carried out by the HHC and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, it aims to bring the Charter from the periphery to the centre of human rights litigation in Hungary. It seeks to do this through training for attorneys and civil-society representatives and piloting an academic curriculum on the Charter. The HHC has launched a new project named Starlight(strategic litigation for rights in Europe), which aims to enable the more effective use of a powerful yet underused tool for protecting fundamental rights in the EU. The HHC serves as an excellent example of how vertical cooperation, namely interactions between a national civil-society organisation and international and European institutions, should work. |
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