Respect for the EU charter of fundamental rights could be used to withhold EU money going to projects that trample over democracy or discriminate on the basis of gender or race, an EU official has said. Under a deal struck in December, the European Parliament pushed through a reference to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and adherence to gender equality and non-discrimination in how EU funds are spent.
Those provisions “could be a potential hook” to “withhold money if we see that something is not going in the right direction,” said an EU official when asked how the European Commission could prevent money going to projects that chip away at democratic institutions.
“When you’re supporting EU-funded projects in member states, there is an obligation – both, by the EU, and also by the member states – to ensure that these projects are complying with the Charter of Fundamental Rights,” the official told EURACTIV.
The EU’s structural funds rulebook was agreed in December, laying down detailed provisions governing regional spending that makes up almost a third of the EU budget. Respect for the Charter through all phases of EU regional spending has been an obligation since its adoption, but until recently, the EU executive did not use this to keep cheating countries and regions in line.
The previous Commission’s mandate has seen “concrete examples in which we were doubtful of the support for certain institutions, or even so-called civil society institutions in certain member states where there was an issue of potential abuse,” the EU official said. Last summer, the EU has rejected a grant under the twinning programme Europe for Citizens to several Polish cities that openly declared themselves ‘LGBT-Free zones’.
In announcing the decision, the European Commission said it was affirming that the European Union stands for equality for all people. “EU values and fundamental rights must be respected by member states and state authorities,” European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said. Read more via Euractiv