Advancing ongoing reforms in the Western Balkans and Türkiye: Horizontal Facility Phase III kicks off!
The joint European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility II programme came to an end, opening a new third phase, which will allow beneficiaries to forward the ongoing reforms in the Western Balkans and Türkiye and further advance compliance with European standards, including where...
Marking International Human Rights Days
10 December is Human Rights Day. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and serves as an opportunity to recall that human rights are universal. In Montenegro on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day 2022 a series of events was...
Advancing freedom of expression and freedom of the media in the Western Balkans
An essential component of the programme is ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of the media in line with European standards by improving the application of those standards in the Western Balkans. Key interventions were implemented in all the Western Balkans Beneficiaries aiming to advance...
Combatting trafficking in the Western Balkans and in Türkiye
Improving the identification, protection of, and assistance to victims of human trafficking in line with the European standards remained one of the core priorities of the Horizontal Facility II programme. Respective actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye have...
Advancing ongoing reforms in the Western Balkans and Türkiye: Horizontal Facility Phase III kicks off!
The joint European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility II programme came to an end, opening a new third phase, which will allow beneficiaries to forward the ongoing reforms in the Western Balkans and Türkiye and further advance compliance with European standards, including where...
Ensuring quality education for all
Ensuring quality education free from discrimination and providing a secure and non-violent learning environment in which the rights of all are respected is fundamental for children and adults to develop their personalities, talents as well as mental and physical abilities to their fullest...
“Block the hatred” local awareness-raising initiatives promoting diversity and equality in the Western Balkans
“Block the hatred, share the love!”, the European Union and Council of Europe joint awareness-raising initiative against hate speech has been reaching many communities and people all around the Western Balkans with a clear goal over the last two years, to combat different forms of hate speech...
Prisoners’ rights are human rights
The programme continued to provide important contributions in the process of enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners by raising capacities of the local authorities and assisting them in strengthening the provision of health care in line with European standards. Related actions...
Access to justice for all, fundamental for human rights
Access to justice is an integral part of the rule of law and an important prerequisite for the protection and promotion of all other human rights. The programme is working with beneficiaries and related local actors to facilitate equal access to justice for everyone and contribute to the further...
Venice Commission provides opinions through the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism
The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism (ECM) was designed as a unique tool of the Horizontal Facility programme that allows for provision of legislative expertise and policy advice by the Council of Europe, at the request of the authorities of the Western Balkans and Türkiye. The areas covered by...
Towards a more efficient justice system
The efficiency and quality of the justice delivered in accordance with European standards remained an important focus of the second phase of the programme, especially with regards to the standards and tools of the Council of Europe European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ). This...
Fighting discrimination and hate speech towards a diverse society
The efforts to support local actors and related beneficiaries in the Western Balkans in the fight against discrimination and hate speech have advanced. Several key interventions were conducted with the aim to improve the fight against discrimination and hate speech as well as ensure the better...
New publications available online
Check out some of the most important publications and research materials published in the framework of the programme during the last two months of 2022. They aim to assist professionals in the region with relevant knowledge, updated information, recent tools, adequate methodologies and related...
Strengthening anti-corruption and anti-money laundering policies in the Western Balkans
Within the efforts to improve the rule of law and democracy in the Western Balkans, the programme has assisted key actors to address recent crucial recommendations of the monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe on strengthening anti-corruption and anti-money laundering and countering terrorist...
Assisting legal professionals through the HELP platform
In order to assist legal professionals who are at the forefront of the protection of human rights to gain a better understanding of fundamental human rights standards, and of how to apply these standards in their daily work, the Council of Europe HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal...
Assisting legal professionals through the HELP platform
In order to assist legal professionals who are at the forefront of the protection of human rights to gain a better understanding of fundamental human rights standards, and of how to apply these standards in their daily work, the Council of Europe HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal...
Fight against trafficking, a priority of the European Union and Council of Europe support in the Western Balkans and Türkiye
Important interventions were conducted by Horizontal Facility II actions to support public authorities in their efforts to improve the identification, protection of, and assistance to victims of human trafficking in line with the European standards. In Türkiye, 120 provincial and central level...
Raising awareness and improving anti-discrimination policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Within the efforts to improve the functioning of anti-discrimination mechanisms and their accessibility to vulnerable groups, in line with European standards, key results and activities have been accomplished in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Council of Ministers adopted the LGBTI Action Plan for...
Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism provides advice to authorities in the Western Balkans
The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism (ECM) continued to be activated to respond to important requests from Horizontal Facility II Beneficiaries for legislative and policy expertise in key areas of the programme, such as ensuring justice, fighting economic crime and combating discrimination, as...
Assisting public authorities in the ongoing prison reforms
An important aspect of the Horizontal Facility II programme is to provide assistance for the public authorities and related actors in the field, to further enhance prison reforms and ensure a better protection of the human rights of prisoners in line with European standards. In this framework key...
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