This report is summarizing the findings of Work package 2 of the ECHOFunds project which conducted research on EU funds and the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) of the EU, the Charter conditionality, compliance and non-compliance with Charter rights and principles, as well as the role of national bodies with a human rights remit (NHRIs, equality bodies, ombuds institutions) and organisations representing civil society in the EU funding cycle.
The report seeks to answer the following three research questions:
We explore more in-depth in the 3 countries that participate in the ECHOFunds project (Austria, Greece and Poland) how the Charter conditionality has been taken into account in the governance of EU funds, as well as during the planning and programming since 2021, and what are the challenges encountered by different stakeholders (Managing Authorities, NHRIs, civil society) in this regard. Beside conducting an extensive literature review and desktop research, the report put a particular emphasis on understanding the perspective of Managing Authorities (in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Poland) towards the implementation of the Charter conditionality and building partnerships.
