For The Europe We Value – a Europe that stands up for human rights, dignity, democracy, rule of law, equality and freedom

European Movement Ireland’s campaign For The Europe We Value, highlights ordinary people across Ireland who promote EU values in their everyday work. Through their work every day, they help to build a Europe where human rights, freedom and dignity are respected and where equality, democracy and the rule of law are seen as indispensable. These are the values the European Union was founded on and has committed to uphold.

But the values that make many of us proud to be European, are increasingly at risk. The far right is intensifying its attacks on values, while we witness democratic backsliding and threats to civil society in some member states. EU values and fundamental rights are being inconsistently applied and undermined in policymaking. From the EU’s response to Israel’s atrocities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Lebanon, weakened protections for refugees and migrants, restrictions on the right to peaceful protest in some member states and diluted sustainability and environmental regulation, EU values are under threat

European values matter; they should be protected and celebrated every day.

We value a Europe that stands up for human rights, dignity, democracy, rule of law, equality and freedom and we call on the Irish government to ensure that the EU does too.

Ireland’s EU Presidency offers an opportunity not only to advance the Council’s legislative agenda, but to reinforce the values on which the EU was founded. Our briefing, For The Europe We Value Framework sets out how the Irish government can use its Presidency to demonstrate leadership rooted in EU values and fundamental rights.

For The Europe We Value: A Framework for the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU

The Europe We Value Framework identifies practical actions across the key policy areas that will define the Presidency, from protecting civic space and strengthening democracy, to maintaining the EU’s climate ambition, promoting a rights-compliant foreign policy, ensuring digital regulation protects fundamental rights, advancing a rights-based approach to migration and asylum, and strengthening equality across the Union. These recommendations can serve as a yardstick for the Irish government in ensuring that its Presidency furthers the protection and promotion of EU values.

Read the Briefing