3rd Annual EU CharterXchange

When
-
Where
Online
Austria
Organised By
FRA
FRA event
The ‘Annual EU CharterXchange’ is an initiative of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Commission to enhance the application of the rights enshrined in the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights (EU Charter), in line with the objectives of the European Commission’s 'Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU’ (2020), and the subsequent Council conclusions on strengthening the application of the EU Charter in the EU (2021). The CharterXchange aims at increasing the exchange of knowledge and experience and fostering collaboration among experts, policymakers, and stakeholders through a regular forum, which started in 2023, dedicated to the EU Charter. The agenda and take-aways of the first and second EU CharterXchanges are available online. This special edition of the 3rd CharterXchange supports the 25th anniversary conference organised by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission together with the FRA. Two rapporteurs of the 3rd CharterXchange will convene the findings of the exchange to the anniversary conference.

Agenda

Justice, environment, enlargement

8 December

09:30 – 10:00 The virtual meeting room opens

10:00 – 10:10 Opening and welcome 

  • Sanja Jovičić, FRA

10:10 – 10:20 Keynote address

  • Sirpa Rautio, Director, FRA
  • Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission

Presentation will be recorded

10:20 – 10:50 The EU Charter as an effective tool for enforcing EU fundamental rights – focus on the right to a remedy

This panel discussion will reflect upon the added value of the EU Charter compared to national human rights protections, focusing on the right to a remedy. Examples from the Member States where the EU Charter was used to fill in the gaps in the national protection of fundamental rights will be discussed. This session targets legal practitioners.

Moderated by: Herwig Hofmann, Professor, University of Luxembourg

Contributions by: Zvonimir Mataga, Registry Lawyer, European Court of Human Rights, Arpi Avetisyan, Human Rights Lawyer 

Session will be recorded

10:50 – 11:15 Exchange among participants

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 12:00 How to strengthen the EU Charter’s role in climate litigation?

This session will discuss the relevance of the Charter in the litigation of environmental and climate change cases and reflect upon the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU in this area.

Moderated by: Jasper Krommendijk, Professor of Human Rights Law, Radboud University Nijmegen

Contributions by: Luc Lavrysen, President, Constitutional Court of Belgium, Václav Prais, Lawyer, Frank Bold Society, Czechia 

Session will be recorded

12:00 – 12:30  Exchange among participants

12:30 – 13:00 The Charter enlargement lab

This session will explore early experiences with the EU Charter by and in the EU Candidate Countries. Special consideration will be given to the relationship between the EU Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).

Moderated by: Chloe Laurens-Dinsdale, Team Leader - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (Chapter 23), European Commission, DG ENEST 

13:00 – 13:20 Exchange among participants

13:20-13:30 Day 1 wrap up

  • Sanja Jovičić, FRA

Disability, AI systems, digital services

9 December

09:30 – 10:00 The virtual meeting room opens

10:00 – 10:05 Opening and welcome by moderator, Martina Törnkvist, European Commission

10:05 – 10:35 The role of the Charter in promoting the rights of people with disabilities – outcomes of the 2nd and 3rd periodic review of the European Union

This session will explore the relevance of the EU Charter in protecting and promoting the rights of people with disabilities as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which the EU is a party since 2011.

Moderated by: Delia Ferri, Professor, Maynooth University

Contributions by: Martha Hirstch-Ziembinska, European Ombudsman, Alejandro Moledo, European Disability Forum

Session will be recorded 

10:35 – 11:00 Exhange among participants

 

11:00 – 11:30 The prospects for invoking the EU Charter before national courts opened by the Digital Services Act

This session will discuss how to protect EU Charter rights through the application of the Digital Services Act in practice. This session is intended to legal practitioners.

Moderated by Maciej Szpunar, First Advocate General, Court of Justice of the European Union 

Contributions by:  Neža Kogovšek Šalamon, Judge, Slovenian Constitutional Court, Raphaël Dana, Attorney at Law, Elected Member of the Paris Bar Council, France 

Session will be recorded

11:30 – 12:00 Exchange among participants

12:00 – 12:15 Break

12:15 – 12:45 The Charter in artificial intelligence (AI) impact assessments

This session will discuss what does the duty of deployers under the Artificial Intelligence Act to carry out fundamental rights risk assessment entail in practice. This exchange is designed for practitioners working on fundamental rights impact assessments in the area of AI systems.

Moderated by: David Reichel, Head of Data and Digital Sector, FRA

Contributions by: Yordanka Ivanova, European Commission, DG CNECT, Legal Oversight of the AI-Act Implementation, Ioana Tuta, Senior Adviser, Danish Institute for Human Rights 

Session will be recorded

12:45 – 13:15 Exchange among participants

13:15 – 13:30 Conclusions

  • Gabriel N. Toggenburg, FRA