Focus Group on the Rule of Law and the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights

In the context of the GRACE project, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) hosted, on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, at its premises, representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for a Focus Group on the Rule of Law and the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in Greece.

The purpose of the meeting was to facilitate the exchange of insights and experiences with respect to issues touching upon pillars of the Rule of Law and relating to fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter, including freedom of expression and information and freedom of assembly and association, as well as issues of racism and hate speech, which undermine the fundamental principle of non-discrimination. The discussion highlighted the significant challenges and institutional gaps, but also opportunities for the enhancement of the implementation of the Charter’s rights at national level, as well as for the endorsement of CSOs’ participation during the pursuit of this aim.

The discussion was moderated by Eva Tzavala, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the GRACE project, and Fani Stathoulopoulou, Research Fellow. The meeting was attended by representatives of the  Hellenic League for Human Rights, the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights, KMOP–Social Action and Innovation Centre, Racist Violence Recording Network, Greek Forum of Migrants, METAdrasi, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), SolidarityNow, HIAS Greece, ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth, Reporters United and Solomon.

The conclusions of the discussion will be used in the forthcoming stages of the project, contributing to the formulation of evidence-based recommendations and strategic tools, since a key objective of the project is -among others- the establishment of a robust network of relevant stakeholders.