More efforts by EU Member States are needed to ensure sufficient awareness and the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU Charter) on the ground. This is what ENNHRI calls for in its submission to the European Commission’s consultations on the mid-term review of the EU Charter Strategy. ENNHRI also urges the European Commission to build on the Strategy commitment to ensure a Paris Principles-compliant NHRI in each EU Member State. Adopting a standalone Recommendation on National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) would aid this.

NHRIs, as recognised by the European Commission, are key motors in advancing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. With a broad mandate to promote and protect all fundamental rights and their extensive engagement with various actors, they are uniquely positioned to drive EU Charter implementation. ENNHRI’s latest submission shows how NHRIs, assisted by ENNHRI, do so. This takes various forms, such as peer exchanges, capacity building, and active involvement in EU law- and policy-making.

Nevertheless, progress in successfully implementing the EU Charter requires more than NHRIs’ initiatives and actions. ENNHRI calls on EU Member States to take more initiative and invest in advancing implementation of the EU Charter. This should include facilitating and supporting training of public officials – including judges – on the EU Charter and creating transparent processes to ensure EU Charter compliance in law- and policy-making. Furthermore, challenges to fundamental rights, rule of law and civil society across the EU are increasing. To tackle these, raising public awareness of the EU Charter’s added value and supporting and protecting civil society should be prioritised.

The importance of monitoring EU Charter and fundamental rights compliance is confirmed in a growing body of EU regulations. This includes the Common Provisions Regulation, the AI Act, and the Screening Regulation. These regulations give NHRIs additional roles to contribute to safeguarding fundamental rights and EU Charter compliance at a national level. To carry out these new mandates, NHRIs need more resources, dedicated EU guidance, training, and full alignment of these new roles with the UN Paris Principles.

In line with the commitments of the 2020 Charter Strategy, EU Member States need to further ensure an enabling environment for NHRIs. This should include access to information and law-and policy making processes, follow-up to NHRI recommendations, and provision of adequate resources. These are all key elements to enable NHRIs’ impactful work to advance implementation of the Charter. Therefore, ENNHRI calls on the European Commission to build on the 2020 Charter Strategy commitment to ensure a Paris Principles-compliant NHRI in each Member State by adopting a standalone Recommendation on NHRIs.

More information on the topic

Read ENNHRI’s submission to the European Commission’s 2025 report on mid-term review of the 2020 EU Charter Strategy.  

Discover ENNHRI’s work on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.