Call for proposals for action grants to support transnational projects to enhance the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime and the rights of victims of crime - JUST-JACC-AG-2019

Deadline: May 15, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

Priorities and activities to be co-financed

1. Priorities

The aims of this call are:

1. to contribute to the effective and coherent application of EU criminal law in the area of the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime (procedural rights priority);

2. to contribute to the effective and coherent application of EU criminal law in the area of the rights of victims of crime (victims' rights priority).

In both priorities, the actions may include forward looking initiatives linked with gaps in EU legislation where there is a need for EU action. Projects ensuring maximum practical benefits and impact for the target groups will be more favorably assessed than theoretical projects consisting mainly of research and other analytical activities. Successful project shall ensure easy access to and wide dissemination of its results.

Projects monitoring the transposition of the instruments mentioned below will not be funded.

1. Procedural rights priority

The main legislative measures concerned within this priority include in particular:

• Directive 2013/48/EU on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and in European arrest warrant proceedings, and on the right to have a third party informed upon deprivation of liberty and to communicate with third persons and with consular authorities while deprived of liberty;

• Directive (EU) 2016/343 on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and of the right to be present at the trial in criminal proceedings;

• Directive (EU) 2016/800 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings;

• Directive (EU) 2016/1919 on legal aid for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings and for requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings.

2. Victims' rights priority

The main legislative measures concerned within this priority include in particular:

• Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime;

• Council Directive 2004/80/EC relating to compensation to crime victims;

• Directive 2011/99/EU on the European protection order;

• Regulation (EU) No 606/2013 on mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters;

• Directive (EU) 2017/541 on combating terrorism in relation to victims of terrorism.

2. Description of the activities

The project should cover one or several of the following activities:

• analytical activities, such as data collection and creation of data bases, surveys, research etc.;

• mutual learning, exchange of good practices, development of working methods which may be transferable to other participating countries;

• exchange and provision of information and development of information tools;

• capacity building for professionals;

• facilitating cooperation between competent authorities (including where relevant national experts or agencies dealing with the aspects covered by this call) and/or legal practitioners and/or service providers (including multi-disciplinary networks at EU or international, national, regional or local levels);

• communication activities including dissemination of information about rights and activities raising awareness of the existing rules on rights at EU and national levels, relevant to the priorities of the call; training activities, as long as they are of ancillary nature and not the main purpose of the project.

The normal functioning of an organisation or the setting up of a new organisation cannot be co-funded.

Activities must take place in countries participating to the Justice Programme to be eligible for funding.

3. Expected results

Expected results under the priority 1:

• Increased capacity of national practitioners to address issues relating to the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime.
• Strengthened cooperation and exchange of information between competent national authorities in relation to the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime.
• Improved knowledge on the legislation and administrative practices related to specific provisions of the EU acquis regulating the rights of suspects and accused in criminal proceedings.
• Alignment of the Member States administrative practices in relation to the relevant legislation in order ot achieve a common approach based on best practice.
• Reduced risks of breaches of fair trial rights.
• Compatibility of the Member States’ national legal framework and regulations linked to the rights of persons suspected or accused in criminal proceedings with EU acquis.
• Improved cooperation of NGOs and professional organisations in the field of the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime.
• Increased awareness of the relevant policy makers on the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime.

Expected results under the priority 2:

• Increased capacity of national practitioners and other actors coming in contact with victims to address issues relating to the rights of victims of crime.
• Improved capacity of national legal systems to deal with victims in an integral manner aimed at increasing victims’ resilience and reintegration in the society.
• Improved cooperation among the competent national authorities, NGOs and/or professional organisations in the field of victims' rights.
• Improved cooperation among the relevant national authorithies in cross-border cases.
• Improved public awareness and knowledge about victims' rights at both EU and national level.
• Improved knowledge of specific provisions of the EU acquis that regulate issues such as referring victims to the relevant support services, victims' access to information in the area of victims' rights, individual assessment of victims' needs.
• Compatibility of the Member States’ national legal framework and administrative practice related to victims' rights with the relevant EU acquis.
• Increased number of victims' support organisations providing general and specialist support services to victims of crimes and their family members, in particular, those Member States who currently do not provide such services enough or at all.
• Increased quality of the services provided by victims support organisations.
• Enhanced cooperation among the relevant national authorities responsible for compensation in cross-border cases under the Council Directive 2004/80/EC on compensation to crime victims^[1].
• Improved access to information about victims’ right to compensation.

[1]OJ L 261, 6.8.2004, p. 15–18, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004L0080