REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION on the implementation of measures intended to promote observance of human rights and democratic principles (for 1995)
Date: 1997-01-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Community budget, EU aid, activity report, democratisation, human rights

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

it 

à 

Brussels, 17.01.1997 
COM(96) 672  final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

on the implementation of measures intended to promote observance of 
human rights and democratic principles 
(for 1995) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

page 4 

page  5 
page  6 

FORWARD 
A.  PRIORITY  LINES  OF ACTION  IN THE USE OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES 
Introduction 
LTliematic approach 
1.1  Support  for  the  democratic  transition  process,  including  the  holding  of  free 
and  regular  elections 
page  6 
1.2  Promoting  and  strengthening  the  rule  of  law 
page  8 
1.2.1  Support  for  parliamentary  activities 
page  9 
1.2.2  Strengthening  the  legal  system  and  its  independence 
page  9 
page  11 
1.2.3  Legal  assistance  aimed  at protecting  civil  and  political  freedoms 
1.2.4  Support  for  government  bodies  for  the  defence  and  promotion  of  human  rights  page  12 
page  12 
1.2.5  Transparency  of  public  administration 
page  13 
1.3  The promotion  of  a pluralist  civil  society 
1.3.1  Promoting the independence, pluralism and responsibility of the media, support for the  freedom 
of  expression  and  of  the  press 
page  13 
(a)  Economic  and  financial  support  for  the  media  in  a survival  context 
page  13 
(b)  Support  for  independent  sources  of  information 
page  14 
(c)  Development  of  independent  media 
page  14 
(d)  Highlighting  the  role  of  the  media  in  society 
page  14 
(e)  Enhancing  professionalism  in  the  media 
page  15 
(f)  Legal  assistance  and  media  monitoring 
page  15 
(g)  Promoting  freedom  of  expression 
page  16 
1.3.2  Human  rights  education  and  public  awareness 
page  16 
page  17 
1.3.3  Promoting  equal  opportunities  and  non-discriminatory  practices 
1.3.4  Strengthening  non-governmental  organizations,  associations  and  local  groups  . .  page  19 
pa: e 21 
1.4  Support  for  confidence-building  measures  to  restore  peace 
page  21 
1.4.1  Conflict  prevention 
1.4.2  Support for  measures  to bring to justice the perpetrators  of  serious violations  of  humanitarian 
law  and  human  rights 
1.4.3  Support  for  national  efforts  to  encourage  subordination  of  the  armed  forces  to  the  civil 
authorities 
1.5  Initiatives  for  target  groups 
1.5.1  Groups  needing  specific  attention 
(la) Children 
(b)  National  minorities 
(c)  Indigenous  peoples 
(d)  Refugees  and  displaced  persons 
(e)  Prisoners 
(f)  Victims  of  torture 
1.5.2  Priority  groups  for  protection  and  awareness-raising  schemes 
(a)  Women 
(b)  Journalists  and  other  media  professionals 
(c)  Magistrates,  lawyers  and  court  and  prison  staff 
(d)  The  army,  police  and  security  forces 
H. Geograpldcal approach 
2.1  Developing  countries  (except  Latin  America) 

page  23 
page  24 
page  24 
page  24 
page  26 
page  26 
page  26 
page  27 
page  27 
page  28 
page  28 
page  29 
page  29 
page  30 
page  30 
page  30 

page  23 

page  30 
page  31 
page  31 
page  32 
page  32 

•  Africa,  Caribbean,  Pacific 
•  Maghreb 
•  Middle  East 
•  Asia 
2.2  Latin  America 
2.3  Central  and  Eastern  Europe, the  Commonwealth  of  Independent  States 
and  Mongolia 
2.4  Former  Yugoslavia  (except  Slovenia) 
2.5  Turkey 
B.  PROCEDURAL ASPECTS OF THE FINANCING OF ACIWITIES TO PROMOTE HUMAN 
RIGHTS AND  DEMOCRACY 
1. Coordination 
2.  Transparency 
3.  Effectiveness 
"Identification  of  recipients  and  projects 
*Monitoring  and  evaluation  of  projects 
*Relations  with  international  and  regional  organizations 
CONCLUSIONS 

page  36 
page  36 
page  36 
page  37 
page  37 
page  38 
page  39 
page  40 

page  34 
page  35 
page  35 

ANNEX  I: 

ANNEX  H: 

Budget headings  and other financial  resources fbr  financing  the promotion  of human  rights 
and  democracy 
Standing  inter-departmental  human  rights  coordination  group 

page  42 
page  53 

FOREWORD 

This report  is the third of  its kind.1  It describes the main  lines of  action  followed  in 
the use of resources available in the  1995 financial  year under the European initiative  for 
democracy and the protection  of human rights (Chapter B7-52 of the Community budget). 
The  purpose  of  this  initiative  is  to  achieve  the  Treaty  objectives  of  developing  and 
consolidating  democracy  and  the  rule  of  law  and  respect  for  human  rights  and 
fundamental  freedoms.2  Launched  in  1994  at  Parliament's  request,  the  initiative  is 
designed  to  ensure  consistent  and  effective  action  in  this  area  by  gathering  together  all 
the  budget  resources  explicitly  earmarked  for  the  promotion  of  human  rights  and 
democratic  principles. 

Other  resources  taken  from  the  appropriations  for  financial  and  technical  assistance 
and  from  other  cooperation  instruments  also  make  a  significant  contribution  to  the 
objective  of human  rights  and  democracy.  It  is not possible  to  cover  all  these  resources 
in  this  report,  which  will  confine  itself  to  some  of  the  most  significant  examples. 

This  report  has  been  drawn  up  by  the  permanent  inter-departmental  Human  Rights 
Coordination  Group  and bears the stamp of their  work to identify  a common  approach  in 
terms  of  guidelines  and  criteria  for  examining  and  selecting  projects.3  This joint  effort 
resulted  in  a  draft  communication  entitled  "The  European  Union  and  the  external 
dimension  of  human  rights  policy:  from  Rome  to  Maastricht  and  beyond"  which  was 
adopted  by  the  Commission  on  22  November  1995.  This  reference  document  takes  a 
closer  look  at  the  instruments  and  objectives  of  Community  action  in  that  area,  taking 
account  of  recent  developments  in  international  relations,  the  emergence  of  new  issues 
and  the  importance  of  target  groups  in  the  democratic  development  of  societies. 

The  structure  of  this  report  has been  altered  in order  to show how  funding  has  been 
used first  from  a thematic  and then  a geographical  angle.  The information  provided  here 
supplements  other  reports  covering  the  same  subject  matter,  such  as the  annual  reports 
on  the  implementation  of  the  resolution  on  human  rights,  democracy  and  development 
adopted  by  the  Council  and  the  Member  States  meeting  within  the  Council  on  28 
November  1991  and  the  specific  reports  on  each  budget  heading. 

1 

Report  on the use of  financial  resources  in the promotion  and protection  of human  rights 
and  d e mo  c r a ti  c 
Doc.  FR/CM/242/242847.GH,  PE  207.805  of  26.3.93. Report  on  the  implementation  of 
measures  intended  to  promote observance  of human  rights  and  democratic  principles  for 
1994  -  COM(95)191  final  of  12.7.95. 

1 9 9 2 - 1 9 9 3) 

p r i n c i p l es 

y e a rs 

( f or 

t he 

Fifth  subparagraph  of  Article  J. 1(2) on the  common  foreign  and  security  policy;  Article 
130u(2) of the Treaty on European Union on Community  development cooperation policy; 
Articles F(l)  and  (2)  of  the  Common  provisions,  Articles  8 and  8e on  citizenship  of  the 
Union. 
See  Annex  2  for  the  Group's  remit. 

A.  PRIORITY  LINES  OF ACTION  IN THE USE OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES 

Introduction 

European  Union  action  to  defend  and  promote  respect  for  human  rights  is  taken  in 
accordance  with  the  United  Nations  Charter  and  the  Universal  Declaration  of  Human 
Rights  supplemented  by  the  two  international  pacts  on  civil  and  political  rights  and 
economic,  social  and  cultural  rights.  It  is  also  based  on  the  requirements  of  the  main 
international  and  regional  instruments  for  the protection  of  human  rights.  The  priorities 
espoused  by  the  international  community  in  the  final  declaration  and  the  action 
programme  of  the  World  Conference  on  Human  Rights  (Vienna,  June  1993)  created  a 
framework  for action  that is one of the European Union's main points of reference.  Other 
world  conferences  on  specific  subjects  or population  groups,  of  which  there  has  been  a 
considerable  increase  in  recent  years,  have  provided  a  forum  for  in-depth  analysis  and 
definition  of  operational  objectives.4 

The European  Commission thus follows general  guidelines which advocate a positive 
and integrated  approach, with the emphasis on the network  of interactions linking human 
rights,  democracy  and  development.  This  approach' involves  both  specific  budget 
headings,  grouped  together  for  the  first  time  in  1994  at  Parliament's  instigation  in  a 
separate  chapter  (B7-52),  and  resources  for  development  cooperation  and  technical 
assistance,  plus  budget  headings  not  included  under  Chapter  B7-52  and  covering  the 
defence  of human  rights.  In  addition  there is the funding  for joint  actions  decided  in the 
framework  of  the  common  foreign  and  security  policy  (Subsection  B8)  a  large  part  of 
which  has  been  allocated  to  support  for  democratic  transition.  Against  this  backdrop, 
approaches  and  priorities  for  action  are  determined  by  the  needs  and  specific 
characteristics  of  the  countries  concerned. 

The  main  partners  of  Community  action  are  the  countries  themselves,  which  are 
directly  responsible  for  building  democracy  and  upholding  human  rights.  It  is  therefore 
vital  to maintain  and  step  up  dialogue  with  public  authorities  and national  institutions  in 
order  to  identify  common  priorities  and  on  this  basis  draw  up  practical  action 
programmes.  This  is  equally  necessary  in  the  special  partnership  which  the  European 
Community  enjoys  with  the  different  components  of  civil  society,  in  particular  non 
governmental  organizations,  whose  contribution  to  the  construction,  consolidation  and 
defence  of the  rule of  law is of primary  importance.  In recent years, this partnership  has 
extended  to  new  fields  of  action  such  as  defence  of  the  rights  of  vulnerable  groups,  the 
promotion  of  democratic  freedoms  and  support  for  democratic  processes. 

The development  of international  relations, the emergence of new thematic  areas and 
the  increasing  importance  attached  to  preventive  action  in  defence  of  human  rights  and 
democratic  principles  has  led  the  European  Commission  to  examine  in  more  detail  the 
instruments  and  aims of  its  activities. In  1995 this gave rise to specific  initiatives,  above 
all  inclusion  of  human  rights  clauses  in  agreements,  which  was  the  subject  of  a 
Commission  communication  approved  by  the  Council.  This  enshrines  achievements  in 

In  1995: Copenhagen World  Summit for  Social Development  (March  1995); Beijing IVth 
World  Conference  on  Women  (September  1995). 

the  field  and  strengthens  the  legal  force  of  the  agreements'  provisions  on  human  rights 
and  democratic  principles  to  be  inserted  in  all  new  draft  negotiating  directives  for 
agreements  with  third  countries.  The  adoption  in  November  of  the  same  year  of  a 
communication  on  "The  European  Union  and  the  external  dimension  of  human  rights 
policy:  from  Rome  to  Maastricht  and  beyond",  marked  the  first  of  a  series  of  actions 
launched  by  the  Commission  in  response  to  Mr  Santer's  commitment  to  make  human 
rights  a priority.  This  was  the  first  comprehensive  statement  by  the  Commission  on  the 
implications of an issue which the Maastricht Treaty places among the general  objectives 
of the common  foreign  and security  policy  and of Community  development  cooperation 
policy.  On the basis of  the acquis, this reference  document  establishes guidelines  for  the 
future  and  indicates  how  to  reach  practical  solutions  which  strengthen  the  coherence, 
impact  and visibility  of  Community  action  and give  a distinctive  Community  identity  to 
the human  rights  issue. 

The  structure  of  this  report  has  been  altered  to  reflect  better  this  requirement  of 
overall  coherence.  It  deals  first  with  themes  and  then  with  geographical  areas  in  order 
to demonstrate the common guidelines followed in the use of financial  resources in  favour 
of  human  rights  and  democratization.  With  this  presentation  any  obstacles  encountered 
can  be  described  and  possible  solutions  put  forward. 

I.  THEMATIC  APPROACH 

The information  given below describes the approach followed  in the use of the budget 
headings of Chapter B7-52 and also some significant  examples of operations funded  from 
other  financial  resources  which  have  an  impact  on  the  human  rights  objective.  Having 
said  this,  it  should  be  stressed  that  the  role  of  Chapter  B7-52  is  that  of  a  catalyst,  it 
focuses  on support for  initiatives of an innovative and incentive nature, the thinking being 
that  if  the  results  are  satisfactory,  the  initiatives  could  be  expanded  subsequently  using 
other  financial  instruments.  It  is in this light  that  the information  given  below  should  be 
read. 

1.1  Support  for the  democratic  transition  process, including  the holding  of free  and  regular 

elections 

Support  for  the  democratic  transition  process  is  a  new  theme  within  the  general 
framework  of  cooperation  action to  strengthen  the rule of  law  and democratic  freedoms. 
The  development  of this type of  operation  springs from  a growing  awareness  among  the 
international  community  of  the  need  to  intervene  at  the  earliest  possible  stage  with 
measures  to  accompany  and  encourage  the  whole  transition  process. 

A  key  element  of  this  approach  is  electoral  assistance  which  helps  to  boost  the 
electorate's  confidence,  and  has  a  strong  political  impact  and  a  higher  profile  than 
traditional  initiatives.  Between  1990 and 1995, the Community/European Union provided 
some 44 countries with  mainly technical  assistance through  specialized bodies.  A whole 
series  of  projects  for  the  pre-electoral  and  post-electoral  phases  was  developed  and 
improved  over  a few years with the  aim of creating a climate favourable  to the  transition 
to  democracy  and  its consolidation  after  elections.  Such projects  include specific  support 
for  the independence  of the judiciary,  the emergence  of  a civil  society,  the  participation 
of  women  in  elections  (as  candidates  and  as  informed  voters),  media  awareness,  civic 

education  and  the  formation  of  parliamentary  structures. 

Because  of  the  political  dimension  to  this  type  of  operation,  three  of  the  first  joint 
actions  decided  by  the  European  Union  under  the  new  foreign  and  common  security 
policy  concerned  electoral  assistance:  to  Russia  (December  1993);  South  Africa  (May 
1994) and support  for the Middle East peace process (April  1994). These operations gave 
the European  Union's  electoral  assistance  its own  distinctive  identity. 

In  1995,  this  type  of  operation  remained  one  of  the  key  elements  of  external 
cooperation  policy  in  favour  of human  rights and  democratic principles.  Chapter  B7-52 
contributed  almost  ECU  5.2  million  to  financing  activities  connected  either  with 
organizing  elections  as  such  or  instilling  the  democratic  values  which  are  at the  root  of 
the  electoral  process.  Financial  and  technical  assistance  and  cooperation  appropriations 
plus  other  instruments  were  also  used  to  finance  measures  to  support  the  democratic 
transition process.  For example, financial instruments of the Lomé Convention  provided 
considerable  amounts  of  funding  for  material  and  technical  assistance  relating  to  the 
preparation  and  organization  of  elections.  For  the  1995  financial  year,  six  countries 
(Kenya,  Benin,  Uganda,  Sierra Leone,  Chad  and  Haiti)  received  assistance  of  this  type 
totalling  ECU  4.34  million  under  their  respective  national  indicative  programmes. 

This  type  of  support  mainly  concerns  the  countries  party  to  the  Lomé  Convention 
(Africa,  Caribbean  and  Pacific)  and  the  Central  and  South  American  countries.  The 
organization  of  local,  parliamentary  (June  1995)  and  presidential  elections  (December 
1995) in Haiti  received  the largest financial  contribution  from  the Chapter.  Some of  the 
projects supported with electoral assistance funds involved financing preliminary  measures 
to  meet specific  material  or technical  needs connected  with the preparation,  organization 
or  supervision  of  elections.  Examples  of  such  measures  include  the  constitution  of  a 
central computerized electoral register for the Palestinian Council elections; and in Ghana, 
the  printing  of  posters  and  a  manual  for  polling  station  officials  and  provision  of  an 
electric  generator  for  the  headquarters  of  the  electoral  commission. 

Where  necessary,  for  example  in  Haiti,  supplies  of  basic  equipment  and  electoral 
material  can be  sent  out  with  technical  assistance  personnel  who  are  responsible  for  the 
implementation  and  monitoring  of  elections  or  for  evaluation  missions  at  an  early  stage 
of  the  electoral  process.  Thus  a  team  of  experts  was  sent  to  Zaire  to  help  the  national 
electoral commission  begin  work  and to coordinate initiatives for  financing  the elections. 

The  importance  of  the  role  of  the  media  during  the  electoral  process  prompted 
operations to promote  and strengthen  the media in  1995.  Impending  municipal  elections 
in  Mozambique  led  to  Community  support  for  a  project  to  reinforce  the  media  at 
provincial  level.  As part of an awareness-raising  programme on democratic  participation 
in  Cape  Verde,  support  was  granted  for  radio  broadcasts  on  the  specific  subject  of 
democracy. The media also deserve close attention  because of their often  decisive  impact 
on the outcome  of  elections. During the Palestinian  elections, there was a special  project 
to monitor  the media in order to measure their level  of independence, the  quality  of their 
election  coverage  and  the  fairness  of  access  granted  to  the  parties  involved.  A  similar 
project financed  under the Phare democracy programme with an eye to parliamentary  and 
presidential  elections  in Romania  consisted  of  studies  (legal  and  political  analysis  of  the 
situation  of the  media)  and  monitoring  activities (qualitative  and quantitative  analysis  of 

the media's involvement  in the election  campaign). The support granted to a specialized 
institute under the Tacis democracy programme was used to monitor the media in Belarus 
(parliamentary  elections),  Armenia  (parliamentary  elections  and  referendum  on  the 
constitution), Georgia (parliamentary and presidential elections), Azerbaijan (parliamentary 
elections  and referendum  on the new constitution)  and Russia (parliamentary  elections). 

Many  operations  in  1995  were  designed  to  prepare  the  political  structures  for 
forthcoming elections.  In Panama, aid was given for modernizing the political parties and 
instilling the values and procedures integral to the democratic process.  Support was also 
given to  measures to consolidate  successful  transition.  This was particularly  the case in 
Latin America  where there were projects to  encourage participation  and the  exercise  of 
political rights in order to combat a growing lack of interest on the part of young people 
in the  exercise  of  citizenship  constituted  by  an election.  In  Chile,  support  was  given  to 
an operation to encourage young people to put their names on the electoral roll. In Russia, 
efforts  to  consolidate  successful  transition  were  particularly  significant.  The  support 
provided for observation of the December  1995 parliamentary elections led to the setting-
up  of  a European  Union  Electoral  Unit  (UEUE).  This  is  an  advisory  body  primarily 
responsible  for  helping  the  Member  States' observers  to  carry  out the tasks  assigned  to 
them  by  providing  the  necessary  expertise  and  information, 
training  observers  and 
helping  to  coordinate  their  deployment. 

Exercising  the  right  to  vote  is  an  endorsement  of  peace  and  a  contribution  to  the 
democratization  process.  The election  of  the Palestinian  Council  was  an integral  part of 
the Middle East peace process  and it was on this basis that the Council  approved  a joint 
operation in April  1994 committing the European Union to a coordinated aid programme 
for  the  preparation  and  monitoring  of  the  Palestinian  elections.  Community  technical 
assistance  from  cooperation  funding  -  some  ECU  7.6  million  -  was  used  to  finance 
preparations  for  the  elections,  such  as  drafting  the  electoral  law,  establishing  polling 
stations  at  national  and  local  level,  setting-up  a  Press  Office,  deciding  electoral 
boundaries, organizing a civic education campaign, training electoral agents and supplying 
electoral  supplies (ballot papers etc).  In September  1995 the European Union was asked 
to  take  part in  and  coordinate  international  observation  of  the Palestinian  elections.  In 
close  cooperation  with the Member  States it decided to deploy  a team of  300  observers 
and create  a European Electoral  Unit  to  coordinate the international  observers. 

In  view  of  the  Community/European  Union's  growing  role  in  election  monitoring 
activities, two pilot schemes were supported with the aim of studying in greater detail the 
various  aspects  of  preparing  and  organizing  such  operations,  in  particular  the  need  to 
standardize procedures  for  selecting,  training  and deploying  observers. 

1.2  Promoting  and strengthening  the  rule  of law 

Establishing  or  consolidating  the  rule  of  law  is  a  gradual  process  which  requires 
far-reaching  legislative  and  political  reforms  to  ensure  the  supremacy  of  the  law,  the 
judiciary's independence, the transparency of decision-making processes and the adoption 
of a legal order offering  adequate legal guarantees for the respect of citizens' rights. Since 
the beginning of the decade many  countries have started this process; several of them are 
now  at  a decisive  period  in  their  development,  which  explains  why  almost  20% of  the 
appropriations committed under the European initiative for the promotion of human rights 

and  democracy  in  1995 was allocated to measures to support  and encourage the ongoing 
reform  process. 

1.2.1  - 

Support for  parliamentary  activities 

A key  factor  in the success of  any  democratic transition  is support  for  parliamentary 
institutions  and  practices  and  stimulation  of  legislative  capacity.  The  wide  range  of 
parliamentary  traditions  in  the  Member  States  is a  considerable  asset  for  the  transfer  of -
experience, know-how  and  information  - one of the essential  components of  cooperation 
in this  field.  The  schemes given support vary  depending on the level of  democratization 
and,  above  all,  on  whether  there  had  previously  been  a  parliamentary  tradition.  In 
fledgling  democracies,  which  are  still  fragile,  the  focus  is  on  providing  members  of 
Parliament  and  their  staff  with  basic  training  in  the  various  aspects  of  the  role  of  the 
legislature  (Mozambique)  and on supplying  the basic materials and equipment  needed  to 
run  a parliament  (Burkina Faso,  Comoros).  Other operations  are designed  to  consolidate 
parliamentary  structures by developing, for  instance, exchange and cooperation networks. 
An  example  of  this  type  of  scheme  is  a training  programme  for  Ukrainian  members  of 
parliament  which  was  started  up  in  December  1995  with  support  from  the  Tacis 
democracy programme and which also provides for cooperation links with the parliaments 
of  Germany,  France  and  the  United  Kingdom  and  also  the  European  Parliament. 

Another important aspect involves support for modernization of the system of political 
parties  (Panama,  Latin  American  region)  -  whilst  remaining  politically  neutral.  Other 
schemes are designed to help develop legislative strategies geared to issues specific to the 
country  or  region  concerned.  Hence support was given to a series of seminars in Eastern 
Europe dealing with the issues of decentralization  and of ethnic diversity  and  cross-border 
areas. The need to look to the future  of these democracies has resulted in projects  targeted 
at training  for  the new generations of the political  class.  For  example, a project  has been 
supported 
training  modules  on  the  electoral  process, 
management  of  political  parties  and  government  structures. 

in  'Romania  which  offers 

1.2.2  - 

Strengthening  the  legal system  and its independence 

Increasing  use  is being  made of the Community  budget to  support the  reinforcement 
or  rebuilding  of  legal  systems.  In  crisis  situations  it  is  used  to  meet  fundamental  needs 
for  justice  but  also  in  a  long-term  perspective  to  strengthen  the judicial  authority  in  its 
role  as the  guardian  of  democratic  freedoms. 

Severe  shortcomings  of  a  legal  system  are  signalled  by  alarming  levels  of  prison 
overpopulation  and  inhuman  conditions  of  detention.  The  gravity  of  the  situation  in 
Rwanda  -  where  the  need  for  justice  is  an  essential  part  of  restoring  confidence  and 
consolidating  civil  peace  -  led  the  international  comrr  nity  to  set  up  the  International 
War  Crimes  Tribunal  for  Rwanda  in  October  1994.  To  supplement  technical  assistance 
measures,  the  European  initiative  for  the  promotion  of  human  rights  and  democracy 
provided  support  for  efforts  to  re-establish  the  Rwandan  legal  system.  A  two-pronged 
programme  was  set  up,  one  part  of  which  consists  of  a  legal  aid  fund  to  pay  for  a 
permanent  legal  team to represent  600 families  of victims  and  survivors, while the other 
provides a series of training and refresher  seminars for lawyers  and magistrates.  Another 
project  provides  basic training  for  legal personnel  (primarily judges  and prosecutors)  and 

covers the purchase  of  administrative  equipment  for  courts of  first  instance.  In  addition, 
support  was given  to organizing  the  first  training  session  of  the  School  of  international 
criminal  law  and  human  rights  in  Arusha  (Tanzania),  which  brought  together  30  legal 
experts,  lawyers  and  law  students  from  Europe  (10)  and  Africa  (20).  The  aim  was  to 
familiarize  them  generally  with  the  legal  provisions  and  machinery  of  human  rights 
protection  and  specifically  with  the  operation  of  the  International  War  Crimes  Tribunal 
for  Rwanda.  Since  the  situation  in Rwandan  prisons  in  itself  constitutes  a humanitarian 
crisis,  humanitarian  assistance  funding  has  also  been  used  for  measures  to  help 
re-establish  the  legal  system  in Rwanda:  drawing up committal papers for the inmates of 
four  prisons to stop false  arrests/detention; prison visits and basic health care for  inmates. 

Projects  have  been  carried  out  in  other  countries  with  major  shortcomings  in  the 
judicial  and  legal  sphere.  For  example,  part  of  a  programme  of  the  Guinean  Human 
Rights  League  concerning  improvements  in  prisons  was  entirely  financed  by  the 
Community  budget.  In  Haiti  the  conclusions  of  an  evaluation  mission  resulted  in  a 
programme to  supply  amenities  and  equipment  and also a legal  aid scheme  for  prisoners 
and  a technical  expertise  mission  to train  legal  clerks. In Palestine,  support  was  given  to 
a  legal  assistance  project  under  which  persons  held  in  solitary  confinement  can  be 
monitored  and  not  only  legal  but  also  administrative  and  social  advice  provided  as  the 
situation  develops  (finding  their  whereabouts,  reuniting  families,  questions of  residence, 
entry  and  exit  permits  for  the  Territories,  improvement  of  detention  conditions  etc).  At 
the same time a scheme was set up to prepare appeals for  Palestinians from  the  Occupied 
In  Brazil,  there  is  a  legal  aid 
Territories  who  were  tortured  following  their  arrest. 
programme  for  land  dispute  cases,  the  source  of  numerous  human  rights  violations.  It 
also  includes  a training  component  for  trade  unions. 

Efforts  to  ensure  that  the  perpetrators  of  serious  humanitarian  or  human  rights 
violations  do  not  go  unpunished  is  vital  to  the  credibility  of  legal  systems  and  the 
restoration  of  confidence  and  civil  peace.  Such  a  component  is  often  found  in  projects 
supported in Latin America and the Caribbean - for example a legal assistance programme 
in Haiti which gives support to the National  Truth and Justice Commission.  The political 
and  social  violence  suffered  particularly  by  children  and prisoners has prompted  support 
for  projects  to  strengthen  the  rights  of  defence  in  general  (Ecuador)  and  the  rights  of 
minors  in  particular  (Peru),  and  support  for  specific  measures  such  as  "Human  Rights 
Ombudsmen" (Guatemala, Salvador) or "Justices of the Peace" (Peru).  It has also resulted 
in more discussion  and information  campaigns on these topics and moves to promote  the 
fundamental  principles  of  criminal  justice  as  part  of  the  reforms  under  way  (Chile, 
Uruguay). 

The  question  of  the  death  penalty  - in  which  the European  Parliament  is very  much 
involved  -  gave  rise  to  an  initiative  backed  by  the  Community  to  abolish  the  death 
penalty  in  Islamic  countries  receiving  Community  aid.  Similarly  there  is  a  programme 
of internships whereby  students, academics and practitioners  can work  alongside  lawyers 
in the United  States and the Caribbean  engaged on criminal  cases where the death penalty 
involves 
has  been  passed.  Another  project,  which  also  concerns  the  Caribbean, 
investigation  work  on  the  cases  of  70  people  under  sentence  of  death  with  a  view  to 
lodging  appeals  at  national  and  international  level. 

Strengthening  the  machinery  of  law  is  a  priority  in  many  countries  which  are 

10 

modernizing  their  legal  apparatus  and  system  and  improving  training  for  their  legal  and 
prison staff.  Under Chapter B7-52  it is possible to support research  and analysis  projects 
designed  to  encourage  the  process  of  adjusting  legal  structures  to  comply  with  the 
principles  of  the  rule  of  law.  This  mainly  involves  tackling  the  question  of  prison 
overpopulation, the process of adjusting  the criminal justice systems (in particular  reform 
of  criminal  proceedings)  and  strengthening  public  defence  services.  For  example,  in 
Ecuador  support has been given to the drafting  of a technical  and legal programme in the 
criminal sector and to a regional  scientific  analysis of prison overcrowding for  adults and 
minors. 

Substantial  contributions  can  be  made  from  the  Community  budget  to  initiatives  of 
an institutional nature based on original legal traditions particularly  in Latin America. The 
support  provided  goes  to  information,  assistance  and  training  infrastructure  such  as  the 
Human  Rights  Ombudsman's  Office  in  Guatemala,  the  "Defensoria  del  Pueblo"  in 
Colombia,  the  "Institution  del  Defensor  del  Pueblo"  in  Panama  or  the  "Oficina  del 
Conciliador"  in  Guatemala.  Other  operations  involve  strengthening  Ministries  either  via 
technical  assistance  (Honduras)  or  more  specifically  via  support  for  training  activities 
(Guatemala). At the  same time, emphasis is given to the regional  approach  which  allows 
for joint  exchange  and  training  sessions  and  the  consolidation  of  national  and  regional 
networks  and  also  gives  these  institutions  a  higher  profile.  A  large-scale  programme 
adopts  the  same  approach  in  Central  America.  It  covers  complementary  areas  such  as 
legal  aid,  human  rights  education  and  the  dissemination  of  information  about  the 
protection  of fundamental  rights.  The programme also follows  cases brought before  the 
Inter-American Court of Human Rights.  Under a project  straddling  11 Central  American 
countries,  a  series  of  seminars  for  judges,  prosecutors  and  lawyers  has  been  organized 
with  the  aim  not  only  of  encouraging  the  exchange  of information  but  also  reducing  the 
number  of training  programmes  organized  at individual  country  level.  This  programme 
has  also  brought  about  improvements  in  the  way  the  law  libraries  of  the  different 
countries  are  run. 
In  Peru  the  Community  budget  provides  support  for  a  training 
programme  for  168 justices  of  the peace. 

Some  projects  combine  research  with  training  and  information  campaigns  directed 
either  at  magistrates,  lawyers,  justice  officials  or  at  the  man  in  the  street.  Innovatory 
approaches  have  been  taken  in  the  training  field,  such  as  a  project  carried  out  by  the 
Izmir  Bar  in  Turkey  which  combines  theoretical  teaching  with  practical  experience  in 
poor  neighbourhoods  of  the  city.  Other  projects,  which  come  under  the heading  of  legal 
cooperation  in the  strict  sense, include study  trips in which  comparative  practical  studies 
can be made, the  aim  being to heighten  awareness of the concept  of  independence  of the 
legal  professions  (Russia,  Albania). 

Within the Community  itself support has been granted to some novel  initiatives, such 
as  a  scheme  to  set  up  a  network  of  bilingual  lawyers  who  can  act  as  the  legal 
representatives  of  European  Union  citizens  in  a  country  of  the  Union  other  than  their 
own. 

1.2.3  - 

Legal  assistance aimed  at protecting  civil  and political  freedoms 

The protection  of civil  and political  freedoms  calls for  specific  measures to make the 
legislative  system  conform  to  the  principles  of  democracy  and  the  rule  of  law.  This 

11 

essentially involves providing the expertise and technical assistance needed to  accomplish 
the  reforms  essential  to  democratization.  It  is  still  a relatively  underdeveloped  field  of 
cooperation,  although  it  is  a constituent  part  of  many  projects. 

Under the Phare democracy programme, technical assistance is being provided for the 
revision  of  the  criminal  code  and  criminal  procedure  in  Ukraine.  This  scheme  also 
includes  a training  course given by European  experts with the aim of training  instructors 
to teach  the new  codes.  In  a particularly  ambitious  project  in Eritrea to  aid the  drafting 
of  a constitution,  the  approach  consisted  primarily  of  stimulating  a wide-ranging  debate 
and encouraging experience-sharing  in order to reach a national  consensus on the  content 
of  the  constitution.  In  Malawi,  an  operation  was  carried  out  with  the  aim  of  submitting 
proposals  for  the  revision  of  all  legal  provisions  which  infringe  the  constitutional 
guarantees and  international  conventions subscribed  to as regards freedom  of  expression. 

1.2.4  - 

Support for  government  bodies for  the defence  and promotion  of  human  rights 

Within  the  framework  of  its  international  obligations,  the  state  bears  the  main 
responsibility  for  the  respect  and  promotion  of  human  rights. This  role  is not  confined 
to  the  drafting  of  legislation  and  application  of  the  rule  of  law,  it  also  includes  more 
involves 
specific  measures  regarding  prevention,  promotion  and  education.  This 
supporting  institutional  assistance  for  the  exercise  of  the  rights  of  defence  or  backing 
efforts  to  spread  understanding  of  and promote  human  rights . 

In this context,  substantial  support  was given to the Inter-American  Court of Human 
Rights,  the  sole  judicial  body  with  regional  jurisdiction  in  this  field,  to  enable  it  to 
develop  a system  to  publish  its  case  law,  increase  its  data  base  and  improve  the  quality 
of  its  equipment.  The  Community  also  gave  funding  for  the  first  intercontinental 
conference  bringing  together  all  the  institutions  for  the  protection  and  promotion  of 
human  rights  of  three  continents  (Africa,  America  and  Europe). 

1.2.5  - 

Transparency of public  administration 

Transparency  and responsibility  are cornerstones of democratic life. They call for both 
transparent  public  management  and  administration  and  participation  by  the  ordinary 
citizen  in  the  decision-making  process  at  local  level. 

systems  by  means  of 

locally  autonomous  democratic 

Many projects  - particularly  under the Phare and Tacis democracy programmes - help 
training, 
to  promote 
experience-sharing,  setting-up  of  databases  and  information  networks  as well  as  detailed 
analysis  of  the  practices  of  local  democracy.  Priority  is  given  to  operations  which 
combine measures  to  enhance the synergy  between  civil  society  and the public sector on 
common  objectives.  One of the projects  supported  is based  on a cross-border  partnership 
between Poland  and Ukraine.  It  incorporates  activities  aimed  at the  strengthening  of  the 
local  authorities  on  both  sides  in  the  framework  of  cooperation  between  two  countries 
benefiting  from  European  Union  assistance.  Based  on  experiences  in  Germany  and 
Portugal,  another  scheme  aims  to  familiarize  the  local  political  leaders  who  took  office 
following  the  first  free  local  elections  in Bulgaria  and  Slovakia  with  the various  aspects 
of  democratic  practice.  On  similar  lines,  Community  support  was  given  to  a  training 
programme  for  local  councillors  throughout  Tanzania. 

12 

The  Community  budget  has  contributed  to  initiatives  centred  on  the  reform  of  the 
state  and  its  administration.  Under  the  Tacis  democracy  programme,  a joint  programme 
with  the  Council  of  Europe  is  designed  to  improve  the  operation  of  key  sectors  of  the 
public  administration  in Ukraine. The programme  covers areas such  as the reform  of  the 
the  improvement  of  the  system  for  applying  laws,  the  training  of  local 
legal  system, 
officials  and  direct  assistance  to  the  Ministry  of  Justice. 

A regional  Seminar in South Africa  on the topic of corruption, democracy  and human 
rights  in  southern  Africa  stands  out  among  the  awareness-raising  campaigns  supported. 
Its  prime  purpose  was  to  increase  the  awareness  of  political  leaders  and  civil  society  of 
the  importance  of  the  fight  against  corruption. 

1.3 

The  promotion  of  a pluralist civil  society 

The  democratization  process  depends  on  the  development  of  a  democratic  culture 
based on pluralism,  tolerance  and citizen  participation.  Chapter B7-52 gives  ample scope 
to  projects  aimed  at  diversifying  and  consolidating  the  "social  fabric"  typical  of 
democracy  by  encouraging  the  exercise of  democratic "freedoms,  the participation  of  the 
people  and  the  constitution  of  dynamic  forms  of  solidarity. 

1.3.1  - 

Promoting  the independence, pluralism and responsibility of the media, support for 
the freedom  of  expression  and of  the press 

Freedom  of  expression  is  as much  the  right  to  express  an  individual  opinion  as it  is 
to  receive  information  and  ideas  and  have  the  freedom  to  communicate  them.  The 
increasing  role  of  the  media  in shaping  public opinion  and promoting  democratic  values 
makes  the  media  a  prime  target  of  oppressive  regimes.  As  a  result  journalists  are 
threatened  and harassed  and legal, economic or commercial  obstacles hamper both  media 
independence  and  the  freedom  to  disseminate  information. 

As part  of the  European  initiative for  the promotion  of human  rights,  approximately 
ECU  7  million  has  been  allocated  to  85  projects  devoted  to  the  defence  and  promotion 
of  freedom  of  expression  and  in particular  the right to free  and independent  information. 

(a)  economic  and  financial  support  for  the  media  in  a survival  context 
The  aid  provided,  in  the Republics  of  former  Yugoslavia,  which  involved  financial 
and  economic  support  as  well  as  logistical  and  technical  back-up,  went  a  long  way  to 
meeting  the  media's  urgent  needs. The  stakes were high  as it  was  a matter  of  preserving 
the  only  real  remaining  area of  freedom  in the region.  The  extremely  difficult  situation 
facing  the  media  was  largely  the  result  of the  authorities  putting  all  sorts  of  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  media  distribution  and  broadcasting  so that  in many  cases  it  came  down  to  a 
question  of  survival. 

In  point  of  fact,  a  major  part  of  Community  aid  was  used  to  provide  the  basic 
equipment needed  to continue activities as well as the vital funds to maintain the  financial 
equilibrium  of the press and the independent electronic media. Thus the independent  daily 
"Nasa  Borba",  a  figurehead  of  the  freedom  of  the  press  in  Belgrade,  set  up  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  by  journalists  who  had  resigned  from  the  "Borba"  when  it  was 

n 

taken  over  by  the  authorities  again,  initially  received  financial  support  which  was  used 
for  supplies  of  300  tonnes  of  paper  to  produce  a  daily  edition  of  the  newspaper.  On 
similar  lines,  the  Commission  contributed  to  the  setting-up  of  a  special  fund  to  cover 
urgent  and  specific  needs  facing  the  media  in  the  region. 

(b)  support  for  independent  sources  of  information 
The  independence  of  the  media  is  based  on  the  free  flow  of  information  and  free 
access  to  sources  of  information.  Again  in  former  Yugoslavia,  projects  have  provided 
support  for  press  agencies  such  as BETA,  the  most  important  independent  press  agency 
in  Serbia,  the new  agency  Montena  Fax  in  Montenegro  and the  small  but  very  effective 
agency,  Stina,  which  provides  information 
to  the  independent  media  in  Croatia. 
Substantial  support  was  also  granted  to  the  regional  offices  in  former  Yugoslavia  of  an 
international  agency  which  transmits  information  electronically  from  a central  computer 
in  Paris.  Another  Community-funded  project  concerns  the  creation  of  an  electronic 
newspaper  connected  to  the  Internet  which  aims  to  distribute  news  gathered  from 
independent  sources.  This  makes  it  possible  to  circumvent  the  obstacles  put  by  the 
authorities  in  the  way  of  the  press  and  audiovisual  media. 

(c)  Development  of  independent  media 

Community  aid also seeks to help the media develop by enabling them to acquire the 
technical means and the personnel  capable of increasing their readership or their  audience 
(printing paper, printing equipment, computer equipment, graphic composition  equipment, 
satellite communication  equipment, rental of telephone lines, more powerful  transmitters, 
press  or  distribution  vehicles,  distribution  expenses, journalists'  wages,  etc).  Under  the 
Phare-democracy  and Tacis-democracy  programmes,  attention  focused  more  specifically 
on  the  technical  and  legal  adjustments  required  for  the  media  to  work  in  a  market 
economy.  Accordingly,  training  activities  have  included  comparative  analysis  of 
legislation, know-how transfer  and an introduction to modern communication  techniques. 
An  original  project  undertaken  in Russia and intended  for  media professionals  combines 
a  period  of  technical  training  with  experience-sharing  in  trade-union  negotiating 
procedures  for  the  entertainment  industry. 

Projects  directly  promoting  pluralism  also  received  priority; this  refers  in  particular 
to  projects  in  former  Yugoslavia  aimed  at  recruiting  a  cross-community  readership  or 
audience, for  example through  broadcasts or print runs in several  languages  (translations, 
subtitling,  opening  of  new  channels  broadcasting  in  the  languages  of  the  other 
communities,  etc), wider  broadcasting  or  distribution  range or by taking  differences  into 
account  in  the  scheduling  of  programmes. 

(d)  Highlighting  the  role  of  the  media  in  society 

For  similar  reasons  projects  highlighting  the  role  of  the  media  in  society,  and  in 
particular  their  specific  responsibility  in  the  development  of  democracy,  received 
considerable  support.  Preference  was given  to publications  which  contributed  to  raising 
public awareness of democratic values while denouncing their violations, even when these 
can be partly blamed  on the media.  In this respect, the importance of projects to curb the 
development  of  hate-fuelling  media  which,  under  the  cover  of  freedom  of  expression, 
propagate ethnic or religious hatred and extremist tendencies of all sorts, must be stressed. 

14 

In  Burundi  a  project  receiving  Community  support  provided,  among  other  things, 
emergency  aid for  independent  media seeking to neutralize the impact of media intent on 
spreading  extremist  messages  and  slogans.  In  Belgrade  the  Media  Centre  attracted  aid 
for  carrying  out  a  project  on  the  responsibility  of  the  media  in  fomenting  hate.  The 
Commission  also helped fund  independent journalists - expelled from  the  state-controlled 
media - to produce a televised  documentary  on the role of official  propaganda before  and 
during  the  war. 

(e) Enhancing  professionalism  in  the  media 

The  independence,  pluralism  and  credibility  of  the  media  in  the  eyes  of  the  public 
largely  rest on the professionalism  of those who bear responsibility  for  them.  Technical 
training and professional  ethics have been the subject of specific initiatives, viz: a training 
programme  for journalists  and  engineers working  for the independent  television  network 
Studio  B  of  Belgrade  carried  out  through  UNESCO;  a project  for  a seminar  in  Senegal 
to  study  the  conditions  for  reviving  journalistic  training  in  Africa;  a  2-year  training 
programme  for  journalists  in  Ghana;  a  human-rights  training  and  awareness-raising 
programme  for  media  students  and  professionals  in  various  Latin  American  regions. 
Numerous  training  programmes  were  also  carried  out  under  the  Phare-democracy  and 
Tacis-democracy  programmes  (specifically  in  Albania,  Czech Republic, Ukraine,  Russia 
and  Mongolia). 

The  professional  organizations  of  journalists  make  an  essential  contribution  to  the 
improvement  of  the  category's  social  status  and  cohesiveness,  and  to  the  defence  of  its 
interests.  In  southern  Africa  a  major  programme  -  "Media  for  democracy"  -  launched 
initiatives  aimed  at  establishing  or  strengthening  national  and  regional  associations  of 
journalists  which  contribute to the general drive to improve professionalism  in the media. 

In  view  of  the  specific  role  of  the  media  in  the  electoral  process,  some  training 
modules  specifically  focused  on  elections.  Thus, an  unusual  training  initiative  involved 
15 Portuguese-speaking  African  journalists  "shadowing" Portuguese  colleagues  covering 
the  elections  in  Portugal.  Another  initiative  provided  training  in  electoral  matters  for 
journalists  from  Mongolia  in  preparation  for  the  1996 presidential  elections. 

(f)  Legal  assistance  and  media  monitoring 

It  is  essential  that  freedom  of  expression  be  guaranteed  not only  in  the  Constitution 
but. also  in  all  the  legislative  and  regulatory  texts  in  accordance  with  the  relevant 
international  instruments.  A number of projects to study  and draft  legislation  concerning 
the freedom  of the press received  support from  the Community budget  (in Burundi, Latin 
America,  Central  and  Eastern  Europe,  Albania  and  Mongolia).  This  in  practice  means 
support  for  the  drafting  of  press  codes,  codes  of  conduct  and  instruments  to  regulate 
broadcasting.  In  addition,  media  monitoring  activities  carried  out  by  warning  networks 
or  initiatives  to  provide  specific  assistance  (in  Burundi  and  former  Yugoslavia  in 
particular)  make  it  possible  to  provide  direct  aid  to  the  media  and  to  national,  regional 
and  international  organizations  which  champion  freedom  of  expression.  Thus,  support 
was  granted  to  the  European  fund  for  freedom  of  expression  which,  thanks  to  this 
contribution,  in  1995  published  a  second  report  on  the  progress  made  on  the  road  to 
democracy  in  14  Central  and  Eastern  European  countries. 

15 

(g)  Promoting  freedom  of  expression 

Freedom  of  expression  concerns  each  citizen:  it  does  not  begin  and  end  with 
independent  media.  Thus,  projects  receiving  Community  funding  have  ranged  from 
comparative analysis of legislation concerning freedom of expression to original initiatives 
aimed  at ensuring  the  protection  of  persecuted  writers  through  the  establishment  of  an 
international  network  of  asylum towns. 

1.3.2  -  Human rights education and public awareness 

Education and public awareness make it possible not only to pass on information and 
knowledge  but  also  to  stimulate  in  each  of  us the  ability  to  create,  act  and participate. 
The multiplier effect  which is inherent in education and training makes them particularly 
effective  means in promoting human rights.  Accordingly, many projects funded from the 
Community  budget  have  an  educational  component.  Education  is  also  regarded  as  a 
means of improving the social status of the most vulnerable sectors of population, as well 
as being  an effective  instrument against racism and xenophobia.  In the first year of the 
UN-sponsored  decade  of  human  rights  education,  under  Budget  Chapter B7-52  nearly 
ECU  10 million  went  to  initiatives  intended  to  promote  democracy  in  civil  society 
through  education  and training. 

Firstly,  Community  aid  contributes  to  the  development  of  teaching,  research  and 
education  in  the  field  of  human  rights,  in  particular  by  supporting  the  development  of 
appropriate teaching aids and the establishment of information networks on human rights. 
Thus,  for  instance,  a  centre  in  Moscow  which  makes  publications  on  human  rights 
available  with  a  view  to  disseminating  information  among  NGOs  and  giving  them 
practical  help, has  obtained  Community  support.  To  enable the notion  of  human rights 
to gain the widest possible  recognition,  support was granted to an original Hong Kong-
based initiative for the development of a multimedia computer programme which includes 
adatabase  describing the international  instruments for the protection  of human rights as 
well  as training  modules  and educational  games  on human  rights.  Also  in Hong  Kong 
another project is contributing to the production of teaching material  on human rights in 
Chinese.  In  Central  America  support  was  provided  for  the  development  of  training 
methods  and  programmes  for  human  rights  teachers  working  for  human  rights 
organizations.  In Guatemala two training and public-awareness programmes, one  aimed 
at training  local  civic  committees  on various issues  and the other for the general public, 
received  Community  support.  In  Africa too  the  Community  funded  major  information 
and  public-awareness  campaigns  and  teacher  training  seminars  (in  Burundi,  Guinea, 
Guinea-Bissau,  Djibouti  and Central  African  Republic)  held locally  or in Europe. 

In the interest  of visibility,  projects  combining  human rights themes  and the  widest 
possible  dissemination  of  information  on  the  European  Union,  its  activities  and 
undertakings  have  received  Community  funding.  A  project  launched  in  Central  and 
Eastern  Europe  aims  to  use  the  debate  on  Europe,  currently  pursued  by  members  of 
parliament,  academics,  NGO's  senior  personnel  and  representatives  of  Community 
institutions,  as a catalyst  in the  development  of  democratic  traditions  in the region. 

16 

Projects with  an educational component, notably  in Africa  and Central America, have 
highlighted the interdependence between the concepts of peace, human  rights  observance 
and  democratic  principles. 
in  Somalia  and 
El  Salvador,  the  production  and  distribution  of  video  cassettes  fostering  peace  and 
reconciliation  in Rwanda and Burundi  and an original  initiative in the West Bank  and the 
Gaza  Strip  to  promote  peaceful  coexistence  through  training  activities  are  all  examples 
of  such  projects.  Again  on  the  topic  of  peace,  the  Commission  lent  its  support  to  the 
organization  of  training  courses  for  teachers,  instructors  and NGO  personnel. 

Two  public-awareness  programmes 

Community  funds  go to measures  intended to promote  a more democratic  society  at 
local  level  and  develop  forms  of  local  democracy.  Under  the  Phare-democracy 
programme,  these  themes  are  included  in  wider-ranging  programmes  in  the  form  of 
modules  devoted  in  particular  to  the  links between  local  democracy  and  business  - both 
management  and labour - (Czech Republic) and bringing together local leaders and senior 
personnel  from  local NGOs or associations (Poland) in discussion  or training workshops. 
In  Bosnia-Herzegovina  a project  highlights  the  overlap  between  local  democracy  issues 
and the existence of a multicultural  society: it provides training and information  activities 
to  promote  the  development  of  democratic  practices  at  municipal  level  (Tuzla).  A 
different  approach  underpins  a project  carried  out  in El  Salvador, the objective  of  which 
is  to  improve  the  effectiveness  of  the  representatives  of  sectors  of  the  population 
traditionally  far  removed  from  the  decision-making  centres.  This means contributing  to 
the  creation  of  a nucleus  capable of taking the initiative within the  local  community  and 
influencing  political  and  social  developments. 

Education  is  a prime  means  of protecting  and  promoting  the social  status  of  certain 
sectors  of  society.  This  involves  essentially  fighting  the  prejudices  which  fuel 
discriminations,  violence  and  intolerance  right  at  the  outset  and  may  take  the  form  of 
civics education  initiatives  and  the teaching of  democratic principles, such  as respect  for 
others, participation  and  pluralism,  to young people.  Support  was  also  given  to  projects 
intended  specifically  for  prisoners  and  refugees  by  means  of  educational  initiatives 
focusing  on  their  ultimate  rehabilitation.  These  initiatives  are  addressed,  inter  alia,  to 
police personnel  who are exposed to situations where effective  safeguard  of human  rights 
involves  the  observance  of  a given  code  of  conduct.  With  regard  to  measures  to  help 
women,  their  strategy  is to  combat  the  discrimination  of  which  women  are  victims  and 
promote their  status  in society.  Training  and education  are also paramount  in  promoting 
the  rights of  indigenous people  and protecting  the victims  of  extreme forms  of  violence. 

1.3.3  - 

Promoting  equal opportunities and non-discriminatory practices 

Equal  rights  and  equal  dignity  are  one  of  the  pillars  of  any  system  intended  to 
safeguard  fundamental  human  rights.  This  approach  was  gradually  supplemented  by 
greater  attention  being paid not only  to particularly  vul  irable groups in society, but  also 
to  the various  ways of  ensuring  personal  fulfilment  anc  the observance  of  such  rights  as 
a fundamental  principle of  democracy.  Prevention  and long-term  measures  are essential, 
but  assistance  to the  victims  also  enjoys  priority  among the initiatives receiving  support. 
Equal  opportunities  issues  have  given  rise  to  a broad  range  of  activities  involving  both 
third  countries  and  Member  States.  Education  and  public  awareness  are  the  key  to 
improving  the  lot of  the most  vulnerable  groups in  society  and  combat  intolerance  in  its 
various  forms.  Legal  assistance  is  another  priority,  as illustrated  by  a project  involving 

17 

a  seminar  to  provide  Hong  Kong  lawyers  and  senior  personnel  from  NGOs  and 
government  departments  with  the  expertise,  essentially  of  a  legal  nature,  required  to 
translate  equal  opportunity  principles  into  law. 

Chapter B7-52 enabled substantial  contributions to be made to a number of  initiatives 
to  protect  women  and  promote  their  status  in  society  and  in  political  circles.  Such 
projects  tackle  the  causes of  discrimination  and of the various  forms  of  violence  against 
women through training activities and public-awareness campaigns, measures to  reinforce 
NGOs and women's  associations and to protect women who are victims of violence.  The 
Community  budget  also helped promote equal  opportunities between  women  and men in 
the  Member  States  of  the  European  Union. 

Ensuring equal opportunities is particularly important for the younger generations and 
numerous  initiatives  set out to tackle the problem,  in particular through  the  organization 
of  educational  activities.  The  goals  set  span  all  the  various  stages  and  aspects  in  the 
fulfilment  of  a person's potential, from  encouraging participation  in social, economic  and 
political  life  to  protection  and  rehabilitation  following  episodes  of  violence. 

Awareness  of  the  intolerance  and  the  various  forms  of  discrimination  exercised 
against  certain  social  groups  have  prompted  activities  which  adopt  a  similar  approach, 
distinguishing between human  rights defence  and protection  for  the individual  on the one 
hand  and,  on  the  other  hand,  improvement  of  those  groups'  social  status.  Projects  on 
refugees,  displaced  persons  or  national  minorities,  particularly  in  Central  and  Eastern 
Europe,  have  taken  both  aspects  into  account.  They  make  it  possible  both  to  combat 
discrimination  in  the  legislative  field  in  the  countries  concerned  and  to  organize 
information  and public-awareness campaigns which aim to eradicate the prejudices  against 
those  social  groups. 

Inside the Community  the fight against racism  and xenophobia has become  a priority 
in  response  to  the  spread  of  racist  and  xenophobic  tendencies  throughout  Europe  in  the 
last few years.  Measures adopted at European level must dovetail with national  initiatives 
this  field.  This  calls  for  the  development  of  a joint  action  on  the  part  of  the  relevant 
international  and  regional  organizations  and has led to both  Community  institutions  and 
Member  States taking  action.  The overall  strategy  adopted  at the Vienna  Summit  of  the 
Council  of  Europe  provided  a  framework  for  action  which  resulted  in  more  specific 
discussions  on  the  means  to  be  deployed.  An  advisory  committee  made  up  of  eminent 
persons  was  instructed  by  the  Corfu  European  Council  (June  1994)  to  formulate 
recommendations  for  cooperation  between  the governments  and the various  components 
of society; in June  1995 the committee was invited to study, in close cooperation  with the 
Council  of Europe, the feasibility  of  establishing  a European  Observatory  for  racism  and 
xenophobia.  Simultaneously, Community measures completing those implemented by the 
Member  States  were  implemented,  notably  in  education,  training  and  media  briefing. 
Pilot  schemes  carried  out  by  NGOs  and  associations  of  immigrants  were  given  priority. 
An  original  initiative  was  launched  -  the  "cities  against  racism"  project  -  intended  to 
support  a  small  number  of  local  activities  aimed  to  encourage  local  partnerships  built 
around  three  priority  areas:  the  prevention  of  racist  violence  and  juvenile  delinquency; 
the  development  of  methods  to  monitor  racist  incidents  by  several  agencies,  and  the 
promotion  of  responsible  citizenship  and  local  democracy  in  multicultural  societies. 
Community  action  programmes,  particularly  in  the  field  of  education  and  youth 

18 

(Leonardo,  Socrates,  Youth  for  Europe  III),  information  and  culture  (Media  II)  also 
In  December  1995  the 
contribute  to  the  fight  against  intolerance  in  all  its  forms. 
Commission  adopted  a  communication  on  racism,  xenophobia  and  anti-semitism, 
accompanied  by a proposal to the Council that  1997 be declared  "European Year  against 
racism".  The text  is  intended  to  coordinate  the Commission's  activities  in this  field  and 
to  describe  the  work  that  lies  ahead. 

1.3.4  - 

Strengthening  non  governmental  organizations,  associations  and  local 

groups 

Partnership  with  the various  organizations  of  civil  society,  and  in  particular  NGOs, 
associations  and  local  groups  upholding  human  rights,  is  a key  element  in  ensuring  the 
success  of  operations  supported  by  the  European  Community  in  this  field.  The  NGO's 
role in implementing  initiatives to promote civil  and political  rights as well  as economic, 
social and cultural rights has increased gradually  and has extended to new fields of  action 
such  as the defence  of the rights of vulnerable groups, advocacy  of democratic  freedoms 
and  support  for  the  electoral  process.  Substantial  support  is  also  given  for  the  creation 
and  consolidation  of  NGOs  as  essential  components  of  a pluralist  and  democratic  civil 
society. 

A large proportion  of  all operations  funded  from  the Community  budget  in the  field 
of  human  rights  and  democratization  involve  non-governmental  organizations  through 
direct  support  or via the  financing  of projects,  the implementation  of  which  is  entrusted 
to them  and which  are in line with their priorities and with those of the European  Union. 
In  view  of  the NGOs'  decisive  role  in the  democratization  of  society  and  in  the  process 
of social  and economic development,  a substantial  share of available resources is devoted 
to  the  reinforcement  and  consolidation  of  NGOs  and  other  components  of  civil  society. 
This  consists  primarily  in  developing  the  their  structures,  organization  and  operational 
capacity  through  direct  support  or by  means of  training  activities  adapted  to  their  needs 
and  priorities.  Original  formulas  have  been  developed,  as  in  the  case  of  a  project  to 
responsible  for 
establish  a  "Centre  for  Non-Governmental  Development"  in  Croatia, 
enhancing  NGOs'  know-how  through  the provision  of training,  information  and  support 
for  their  work.  Thus, the non-governmental  sector  is able to found  its legitimacy  within 
society  on  the  quality  of  its  action  and  become  self-reliant  having  acquired  its  own 
training,  communication  and  fund-raising  structures. 

towards 

Substantial  support  was  therefore  granted 

In  granting  its  support  to  NGOs  and  to  civil  society  at  large, the  Community  seeks 
the 
to  achieve  continuity. 
establishment  of  a  network  of  Chilean  organizations  which  had  already  received 
Community  grants  in  the  past.  The  project  was  specifically  intended  to  enhance  the 
expertise  of  those  in  charge  of  the  network  in  the  practice  of  democracy.  A  major 
programme to provide support for the development of civil society carried out in the Arab 
world  and  aimed  at  improving  the  NGOs'  capacity  for  action,  in  particular  through 
training activities, is the second stage of an initiative geared to the long term.  The  NGOs 
specific  characteristics  which  cannot  be  used  to  full  advantage  where  only  one  method 
of operation  is used, have led to the development of formulae  which allow for  significant 
flexibility  in  the  way  NGO  needs  are  met.  Thus  Community  support  has  enabled  a 
special  fund  to  be  set  up  to  assist  in  the  implementation  of  micro-projects  intended  to 
promote  the  observance  of  human  rights. 

19 

Support  for  the  democratization  of  civil  society  also  applies  to  socio-economic 
structures, the  role  of  which  is paramount  in  promoting  the  democratic  development  of 
the countries concerned.  Under the Phare-democracy  and Tacis-democracy  programmes, 
the  Slovenian  and  Russian  Chambers  of  Commerce  benefitted  from  a  reorganization 
programme  which  included technical  assistance, training courses and the development  of 
their activities, in particular through  seminars on  democracy  and the market  economy. A 
number  of  projects,  in  particular  in  the  Baltic  States,  Slovenia,  Romania,  Russia, 
Mongolia  and  former  Yugoslavia,  focus  on  trade  unions,  primarily  with  the  aim  of 
strengthening  their  structures  and  raising  awareness  of  their  responsibilities  in  a  society 
where  democracy  and  market  economy  prevail. 

Funds  were  allocated  to  the  reinforcement  of  institutional  agencies  at  local  and 
national level which  are committed to the promotion  and observance of human  rights and 
democratic  principles  or  hold  a  specific  responsibility  in  this  field  This  was  the  case 
specifically  in Latin  America,  where numerous projects  aim  to provide  support  for  local 
institutions  with  specific  responsibilities  in  the  administration  of justice.  The  desire  to 
bring the action  as close to the citizens, their concerns and aspirations as possible inspired 
a  project  undertaken  in  Costa  Rica  combining  public-awareness  and 
information 
campaigns  on  human  rights  with  the  consolidation  of  networks  set  up  to  defend  the 
citizens  and  enable  their  participation  in  the  various  aspects  of  local  life.  The  same 
approach  is at the  basis of  a programme  for  Central  America  which, inter alia, strives  to 
tap  NGOs'  experience  in  organizing  the  work  of  the  new  civil  service  departments. 

Support  for  non-governmental  organizations  spans  a number  of  different  sectors.  It 
is extended to organizations looking after  specific  social  groups as well  as to  associations 
and groups focusing  on specific  topics.  In the run  up to the World Women's  Conference, 
substantial  support* was  granted  for  the  preparation  and  participation  of  NGOs  and 
women's  associations  in  that  event,  to  the  success  of  which  their  contribution  was 
essential.  Both  European  organizations  and  those  based  in  Latin  America  and  in  Lomé 
IV  countries  received  financial  support  and  benefited  from  initiatives  intended  for  the 
most  part  to  encourage  the  setting  up  of  women's  networks,  associations  and 
organizations,  such  as the  creation  of  a network  of  women  with  local  responsibilities  in 
Chile  or  the  development  of  the  activities  of  a network  of  Russian  and  Czech  women's 
organizations.  Youth organizations also attracted Community  support under  programmes 
centred  on  civic  education  and  public  awareness  of  topics  related  to  democratic 
involved 
participation 
organizations  to  help  the  disabled  (Slovakia).  Under  the  Phare-democracy  and 
Tacis-democracy  programmes,  a  substantial  contribution  was  granted  to  environmental 
NGOs. 

(Central  and  Eastern  Europe,  Georgia). 

Other  projects 

The  strengthening  of  the  capabilities  of  NGOs  and  other  groupings  of  civil  society 
calls  primarily  for  projects  designed  to  develop  their  activities.  This  means  initiatives 
capable of fostering  the NGOs' educational  role (in Estonia and Latvia) by enhancing their 
staffs  qualifications  and  expertise  on  topics  related  to  the  democratic  process  and  by 
encouraging  the  sharing  of  experience  and  contacts  across  national  borders.  Activities 
organized  under  the  Phare-democracy  and  Tacis-democracy  programmes  have  included 
exchanges  and  visits  to  EU  Member  States.  One  such  project  aimed  at  strengthening 
local  structures  in  Poland  through  study  visits  to  similar  organizations  in  Spain,  while 

20 

another focused on the development of non-governmental educational structures in Estonia 
and  Latvia  through  a  wide  range  of  activities  which  included  study  visits  to  various 
Member  States  of  the  Union. 

It is equally  essential that NGOs and other groupings of civil society develop positive 
relations  with  national  and  local  authorities.  The  emphasis  is  on  fostering  cooperation 
between  the political  representatives  and such  groupings.  The projects  receiving  support 
achieved  synergies  in the pursuit of  common objectives.  This was the case for  initiatives 
carried  out in Latin  America  and  dealing  with justice, the  fight  against  impunity  and  the 
civil service at large.  It was also one of the guiding principles of the initiatives  supported 
under the Phare-democracy  and Tacis-democracy  programmes: training  courses on topics 
of  common  interest  linking  social  reform  and  democratic  process  and  bringing  together 
representatives  of  the  public  sector  and  senior  personnel  from  NGOs  and  associations; 
training  and  popularization  courses  covering  relations  between  NGOs  and  the  public 
sector  in  a  democratic  context.  This  kind  of  initiative  goes  hand  in  hand  with  projects 
which  contribute  to  the  NGOs'  involvement  in  the  legislative  process,  either  in  relation 
to  their  fields  of  activity  or  to  the  legislative  aspects  pertaining  to  their  status  and  the 
conditions of their  existence  (Estonia and Mongolia in particular).  Other measures, as in 
the case of a pilot  scheme carried out in Russia, aim at strengthening the NGOs' capacity 
to  develop  partnerships  with the  local  authorities, particularly  where there  is no  tradition 
of  local  government. 

Recognition  of how  important  the NGO's  contribution  is in promoting  human  rights 
and  democratic  principles  has  resulted  in  substantial  support  being  granted  to  NGOs 
working 
in  the  various  international  fora.  This  was  the  case  in  particular  for  all  the 
initiatives  taken  to  help  NGOs  and  women's  associations  prepare  for  the  Beijing 
Conference,  but  also  for  specific  projects  to  coordinate  and  assist  NGOs'  representatives 
called  to  bear  witness  before  UN  bodies.  A  similar  project  sought  to  develop  training, 
monitoring  and  awareness-raising  activities  so  as  to  boost  the  involvement  of  the 
non-governmental  sector 
institutions  of  the  OSCE 
in  the  work  of  the  various 
(Organization  on  Security  and  Cooperation  in Europe). 

1.4 

Support for  confidence-building  measures  to restore peace 

The international  community  is increasingly  aware of the impact of human  rights on 
peace  and  on  international  and  regional  security  as well  as  on  the  overall  situation  of  a 
country,  on  its  political  stability  and  on  its  social  and  economic  development.  This 
awareness  is accompanied  by  growing  interest  for  the prevention  aspect  of  initiatives  to 
promote  observance  of  human  rights  and  democratic  principles.  At  the  same  time,  the 
desire to take action  as early  as possible to achieve long-term  results has led to  initiatives 
which  combine  specific  support  for  the  peace  process  with  measures  to  promote  values 
such  as  tolerance,  conciliation  and  mutual  respect  likely  to  bring  about  a  climate 
conducive  to  peace. 

1.4.1  - 

Conflict  prevention 

Prevention  is  not  a  new  idea  and  any  policy  to  promote  human  rights  must  of 
this  aspect.  However,  extensive  discussions  have  led  to  the 
necessity 
development  of  a  comprehensive  and  multidimensional  approach  (human  rights, 

include 

21 

development,  environment)  and  to  fresh  strategies  being  identified.  The  original 
initiatives  described  below  are  a few  examples. 

Numerous  projects  receiving  Community  support  include  aspects  relating  to  the 
acquisition of conciliation  and conflict  resolution techniques.  They are also  characterized 
by  the  importance  they  attach  to  the  links  between  the  promotion  of  human  rights, 
community  education  and the fostering  of peace-related  issues.  A project  undertaken  in 
Hungary  which  comprises  a wide range  of  training  activities  on topics  concerning  local 
government,  lays  particular  emphasis  on  the pursuit  of  consensus,  collective  bargaining 
practices  and  the  management  of  social  conflicts. 
In  the  same  spirit,  an  initiative 
receiving  support  in Nicaragua  seeks to promote  consensus  at national  level  and  various 
forms  of  solidarity  at  community  level, in particular  by  encouraging  experience  sharing 
in  economic,  social  and  political  life.  As part of  a programme  to harness  civil  society's 
resources  to  the  consolidation  of  democracy  in  Peru,  three  aspects  have  been  given 
priority:  administration  of  justice  and  democracy;  civil  defence  in  a  democracy  and 
citizens'  participation  in  public  life.  The  educational  component  was  predominant  in  a 
project  covering  several  cities  of  Kazakhstan  and  comprising  training  and  information 
activities  in the  field  of  conflict  resolution  and crisis management.  The initiative,  which 
provides  for  the  opening  of  a  "Centre  on  Peace-building  and  Conflict  resolution"  in 
Almaty, also  includes training periods, seminars and round tables which  aim to  stimulate 
the  non-governmental  sector. 

On-going  debate  on  the  preventive  dimension  of  initiatives  to  promote  peace  and 
human  rights  has  resulted  in  Community  support  being  granted  to  projects  proposing 
innovative  action  packages.  Thus  the  development  of  capacities  in  conflict-resolution, 
early  warning  and  preventive  diplomacy  is the  core of  a multiregional  project  aimed  at 
regional  agencies  and  organizations  to  enable  them  to  settle  conflicts  before  they 
degenerate  into  violence.  Since  in  a crisis or  after  the  alarm  has been  raised,  immediate 
reaction  is  fundamental,  an  original  project  proposes  a  number  of  measures  (such  as 
evaluation  missions  and special  envoys), enabling  action to be taken  before  the  conflicts 
escalate. 

Specific  initiatives  to  support  the  peace  process  also  received  Community  funding. 
They  tend  to be  characterized  by  a strong educational  component:  programmes  covering 
peace,  reconciliation  and  democracy  education  in  Nicaragua  and  El  Salvador,  national 
workshops  providing  civic  education  and  popularizing  the  Lusaka  peace  protocol  in 
Angola;  training  periods  in  community  and  social  work  in  relation  to  human  rights  for 
Palestinians  of  the  Gaza  Strip  and  the West Bank  ("peace  trainees");  training  for  NGOs 
and  institutions  involved  in  the  peace  process  in  Guatemala. 

New  methods  have been  developed  applicable  in situations  of  serious  and  persistent 
violations  of  human  rights. Thus, the European  Community  lent  its support  to a  mission 
of  human  rights  observers  sent  to  Rwanda  to  follow  up  the  fact-finding  mission  of 
March  1995  and  extended  until  15 January  1996.  The  initiative  sought  to  introduce  an 
element  of  impartiality  in  a situation  of  serious  and persistent  violations  of  basic  human 
rights,  and  aimed  to  ease  tensions  and  to  encourage,  wherever  possible,  the  return  of 
refugees.  It  was  carried  out  under  the  aegis  of  the  UN  High  Commissioner  for  human 
rights  within  the  framework  of  the UN  mission,  in  conjunction  with  the  UN  Centre  for 
Human Rights in Geneva.  Chapter B7-52 also helped fund five observers sent to Burundi 

22 

with  the  task  of  contributing  to  the  restoration  of  a  climate  of  confidence  and  safety 
among the population  by assisting the UN rapporteur  on human  rights and designing  and 
carrying  out human  rights  education  programmes.  Similarly, by  way  of  contribution  to 
the implementation  of the Council's common position  adopted in October  1995, an action 
plan  implemented  in  Angola  includes  a  human  rights  observer  mission  within  the 
framework  of  the  UN  verification  mission  (UNAVEM III). 

1.4.2  - 

Support  for  measures  to  bring  to  justice  the  perpetrators  of  serious 

violations of humanitarian  law and human  rights 

Prevention  may  take  on  a  repressive  flavour,  especially  in  situations  where  the 
impunity of the perpetrators of serious violations perpetuates a climate of insecurity  which 
is conducive to renewed  violence.  The dire consequences of  such  a state of  affairs  have 
led in particular to the setting up of special Tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, 
called upon to try the perpetrators of serious violations of human rights and humanitarian 
law.  This  represents  a most  significant  innovation  in  international  law  and has  enjoyed 
active  support  from  the  European  Union  and  from  the  Commission's  specific  initiatives 
intended  to  assist  the  Tribunals  in  starting  up their  work.  The  Community  contribution 
to  the  work  of  the  two  special  Tribunals  has  made  it  possible  to  entrust  specific 
supporting  activities,  viz:  protection  and  support  for  the  victims  who  come  to  testify; 
provision  of  15  legal  counsels;  public  awareness  of  the  Court's  role;  collection  of  new 
evidence;  opening  of  documentation  centres  and  establishment  of  a  database,  technical 
monitoring  of  the  Tribunal  activities,  provision  of  video-conferencing  facility,  etc.  to 
specialist  NGOs.  To finance the various activities funds  totalling  ECU  3.1  million  have 
been  committed. 

At the  instigation  of  the  European  Parliament,  a new budget  heading  endowed  with 
ECU  300  000  was  introduced  in  1995  to provide  specific  backing  to  non-governmental 
organizations  working  towards  the  establishment  of  a permanent  international  criminal 
court.  The activities receiving support are contributing to the development of a European 
position  on the  issue.  This has  resulted  in  information  and public  awareness  campaigns 
and  initiatives  aimed  at  promoting  coordination  and  cooperation  among  NGOs, 
governments,  the  special  Tribunals  and  the  relevant  UN  agencies  in  the  start-up  phase. 

1.4.3  - 

Support for  national efforts to encourage subordination of the armed forces 

to  the civil authorities 

Under  Chapter  B7-52  the  efforts  of  Latin-American  countries  to  bring  security  and 
armed  forces  under  the  effective  control  of  the  civil  authorities  and  encourage  the 
separation  of  their  roles  in  a  democratic  state.  Since  this  objective  is  best  attained 
through training, Community support went to a number of training activities for the armed 
forces  in  Central  America,  the  Andean  region,  Paraguay  and  Peru  focusing  on  human 
rights  and  the  rule  of  law.  Financial  and  technical  assistance  was  also  provided  for 
similar  activities  for  the  benefit  of  the  national  police  force  in  El  Salvador. 

Special  attention  has been  given to training initiatives  for  demobilized  military, such 
as the project  launched  in Nicaragua to promote reconciliation  and social  reintegration  of 
demobilized soldiers through training activities focusing  on peace and conflict  resolution. 
Initiatives supported  under the Phare-democracy  programme have led to  information 

23 

and  awareness-raising  activities  aimed  at  encouraging  discussion  on  international 
security-related  issues  and on  relations between  armed  forces  and  civil  authorities.  One 
such  initiative  was  launched  in  Bulgaria  and  was  targeted  at  various  agents  in  civil 
society  with  a view  to familiarizing  them  with  international  security  concepts.  Another 
project  in  Estonia  is  aimed  at  strengthening  the  national  organizations  concerned  with 
This  project  comprises 
relations  between  armed  forces  and  civil  authorities. 
awareness-raising,  information,  a  relevant  survey  of  public  opinion  and  a  comparative 
study  of  relations  between  the  military  and the  civil  authorities  in Latvia  and  Lithuania. 

1.5  - 

Initiatives  for target groups 

1.5.1- 

Groups needing specific protection 

Children 

(a) 
Children  rights  are an integral part  of human  rights.  Since  children  require  specific 
protection,  the  international  body  of  law  for  the  protection  of  human  rights  was 
supplemented  with  a  specific  instrument  protecting  the  rights  of  the  child  and  his 
well-being.  The UN Convention  on the Rights of the Child, which  entered into force  on 
2  September  1990  and has  already  been  ratified  by  a large number  of  countries,  covers 
the  civil  rights  and  individual  freedoms  of  children,  their  economic,  social  and  cultural 
rights  as well  as their  right  to  specific  protection  against  all  forms  of  violence. 

Education  is the  focal  point  of  initiatives to help  children  and  a large proportion  of 
projects  having  attracted  Community  support  gives  priority  to  educational  and  training 
activities.  Fighting  at  the  earliest  possible  stage  the  prejudices  which  perpetuate 
discriminations,  violence  and  intolerance  is  a  long-term  task,  but  it  is  the  only  way  of 
producing  durable  and  far-reaching  results  throughout  society.  This  is  why  Chapter 
B7-52  gives  priority  to  projects  to teach  civic education  and  democratic  values,  such  as 
respect  for  others,  participation  and  pluralism,  to  voung  people.  With  the  aim  of 
developing  a  culture  where  peace  and  tolerance  have  pride  of  place  in  Peru,  priority  is 
given  to  human  rights  education  and the practice  of  democracy  in  schools.  An  original 
initiative,  supported  under the Tacis-democracy  programme,  focuses  in particular  on  the 
teaching  of history  in Russia,  contributing to the recent  debate on the need  to  modernize 
history  teaching  methods.  A  pilot  scheme  in  Lithuania  follows  a  similar  approach:  by 
producing  educational  material  and  providing  specific  training  for  secondary  school 
teachers,  it  seeks  to  encourage  the  pupils'  active  participation  in  the  life  of  the  city. 
Similarly, the  main  objective  of  a civic  education  programme  being  run  in  250  primary 
and  secondary  schools  in  Poland  is  to  raise  the  children's  awareness  of  democracy  and 
its  fundamental  principles.  In  Turkey  a training  programme  is  addressed  to  some  1200 
teachers  covering  12 provinces.  The  importance  attached  to  education  is  also  reflected 
in  projects  aimed  at  introducing  the  teaching  of  human  rights  and  democracy  in  school 
curricula  (Panama,  Honduras,  Peru)  or  at  providing  the  ministries  concerned  with  the 
necessary  technical  assistance  for  drawing  up  the  syllabuses  (Tunisia).  Some  projects 
stress the significance  of values  such  as participation  and solidarity,  and in particular  the 
importance  of  voluntary  work  in  the  social  field. 

Awareness  of  the  fact  that  children  are  subjected  to  violence  in  all  its  forms  has 
prompted  numerous  initiatives  throughout  the  world. 
In  India  a  programme  to  raise 
public  awareness  of  child labour,  whose long-term  objective  is to eliminate the problem, 

24 

received Community support.  A second phase of the programme will propose alternatives 
to  those  who  employ  children.  In  order  to  remedy  a situation  where  illiteracy  and  lack 
of  legal  protection  prevail,  field  work  in Haiti  is  developing  a range  of  activities  aimed 
at the social reintegration  of street children (promoting literacy, putting the children  back 
in  school,  raising  awareness  in  the  families,  etc).  Other  initiatives  in  Peru  cater  for  all 
the needs  - legal, psycho-social  and  medical  - of  minors  charged  with  criminal  offences 
or victims of torture or other abuse.  This work is supplemented by public-awareness  and 
information  campaigns. 
In  Argentina  Community  support  was  granted  to  a  specific 
initiative  intended  to  provide  backing  for  legal  actions  and  inquiries  to  obtain  subsidies 
for  the  families  of  children  "disappeared"  for  political  reasons.  An  additional  measure, 
also in Argentina, provides assistance with medical, legal, psychological, educational  and 
social  problems  to  140  adolescents  from  families  which  have  been  the  victims  of 
repression  under  the  military  dictatorship.  A  similar  approach  is  behind  a  project  in 
Slovenia which  is  aimed  at the  children  of Bosnia.  Another  project  launched  in  Croatia 
is  trying  group  therapy  on  two  groups  of  6-12  year  olds;  should  this prove  successful, 
the  method  could  be  applied  more  widely.  Specific  projects  for  children  refugees  in 
camps in former Yugoslavia aimed at giving publicity to the evidence brought by children 
also  enjoyed  Community  support. 

Community  funds  contributed  to  the  organization  of  a  conference  bringing  together 
organizations  which  are  very  active  in  providing  assistance  for  children  victims  of 
violence.  The  conference  led  to  a  number  of  recommendations  to  being  made  with  a 
view  to  developing  know-how  in  this  field,  coordinating  the  activities  of  the  relevant 
bodies and establishing operational procedures to ensure rapid response in case of  danger. 
Recognition  of  the  importance  of  forging  links  between  governments  and  NGOs  with 
regard  to  the  protection  of  children  caught  in  armed  conflicts  in  Africa  resulted  in  an 
initiative  comprising  a series of  regional  meetings as well  as evaluation  missions  leading 
to  the  organization  of  a world  conference.  More  specifically,  a  contribution  was  made 
to the organization  of an international  conference  for magistrates held in Northern  Ireland 
and aimed  at providing them  with  a better understanding  of the problems encountered by 
young  people  faced  with  situations  of  extreme  violence.  Community  financing  also 
allowed  the  participation  of  representatives  from  Asian,  Latin  American  and  African 
NGOs  in the  first  international  conference  on the  sexual  and  commercial  exploitation  of 
children  held  in  Sweden  in  August  1996. 

Since the  Convention  on the Rights  of  the  Child  is the  reference  for  all  the  projects 
qualifying  for  Community  support, it is fitting to mention  an original project  which,  from 
specific  cases, aims to establish  indicators to measure the extent to which the  Convention 
has  been  honoured. 

(b) 

National  minorities 

The  issue  of  minorities  is  now  one  of  the  international  community's  foremost 
concerns.  In  1994  the  Union  responded  to  an  issue  that  had  been  acquiring  increasing 
urgency  since  the  start  of  the  decade  by  launching  a  particularly  ambitious  diplomatic 
initiative,  which  culminated  in  March  1995  with  the  signing  of  a  Stability  Pact  to  be 
implemented by the OSCE.  A political  declaration with a list of about a hundred  bilateral 
agreements, the  Pact's  preventive  measures  are  designed  to  strengthen  Europe's  stability 
by  promoting  neighbourly  relations  on  such  issues  as  borders  and  minorities.  Two 

25 

regional  round tables, one for  the Baltic and the other for  the rest of  Central  and  Eastern 
Europe, have produced  agreements vital to ensuring legal situation between  governments 
on  the  subject  of  minorities  is  clear.  The  flanking  measures  called  for  by  this  initiative 
have  received  considerable  financing  backing  under  the  Phare  and  Phare-Democracy 
programmes. 

One of  the  main  shortcomings  identified  when  looking  at the  issue of  minorities  in 
Central  and Eastern  Europe  is a lack  of  dialogue between  government  structures  and the 
representatives  of  minorities  and between  the  relevant  government  agencies  in  different 
countries  of  the  region.  With  that  in  mind,  backing  is being  provided  under  the  Phare-
Democracy  programme  for  a  joint  scheme  with  the  Council  of  Europe  aimed  at 
establishing  institutional  ties  between  the  authorities  responsible  for  minorities  in  the 
different  countries  of  the  region.  The  core  activity  is  to  build  up  structured  working 
relationships between  the different  government  agencies involved through training, study 
visits  and  technical  assistance. 

Other projects  in the field of  legal  assistance  are helping harmonize  laws on  religion 
in  Bulgaria,  Romania  and  Albania  in  order  to  bring  them  into  line  with  the  European 
Convention  on  Human  Rights.  A  scheme  under  way  in  former  Yugoslavia  is  offering 
direct  legal  aid  to  victims  of  ethnic  discrimination,  helping  promote  their  rights  and 
getting  the  different  communities  to  talk  to  each  other.  Protecting  minorities  also 
involves  schemes  aimed  at  familiarizing  the  groups  concerned  with  their  rights  and 
various  aspects  of  their  situation.  Such  schemes  tie  in  with  specific  activities  aimed  at 
fostering  links between  existing networks in the interests of the more effective  protection 
and  promotion  of  minority  rights. 

(c) 

Indigenous  peoples 

In line with the demands of the European Parliament and the conclusions of the 1992 
World  Conference  in Rio, special  attention  is being paid to the lot of indigenous peoples, 
notably  as part  of  an  approach  combining  their  rights  with  concern  for  the  environment. 
Funding  has  been  provided  for  innovative  practical  projects  to  help  them  organize, 
channel  their demands and enhance the international  impact of those demands, especially 
in  the  United  Nations.  Human  rights  workshops,  seminars  and  programmes  have  also 
been  set  up  for  them. 

(d) 

Refugees  and  displaced  persons 

According to recent estimates, there are in the world today  about 20  million  refugees 
and  24  million  people  uprooted  in  their  own  countries.  The  European  Union  is  a 
substantial  contributor  to the work of the UN High  Commission  for Refugees  (UNHCR), 
in  particular  through  ECHO,  the  humanitarian  aid  office  set  up  by  the  European 
Community  in  1992.  The  partnership  formed  between  the UNHCR  and  the  Community 
in  December  1993  has  increased  overall  effectiveness  in  such  areas  as  prevention, 
emergency  aid,  protection,  assistance  and the  promotion  of  lasting  solutions.  A total  of 
ECU  345 million  in Community  budget resources has been  allocated for  schemes to help 
the  world's  refugees  and  displaced  persons. 

Within  the Union  funding  has been  focused  on training  programmes.  One  example 

26 

is  a  contribution  towards  the  funding  of  training  for  Greek judges,  police  officers  and 
civil servants involved in handling and processing asylum seekers.  Another project  seeks 
to foster  Europe-wide  coordination  of  activities to help young refugees  fleeing  warzones 
to  escape  forced  conscription  into  their  country's  army.  Assistance  for  refugees  is  also 
at  the  heart  of  a  project  covering  Belarus,  Russia  and  Ukraine,  which  is  geared  to 
supporting and coordinating the activities of NGOs working with refugees  in the region. 
A  similar  project  is aimed  at providing  600  Spanish  and Latin  American  organizations 
working  in  the  refugee  field  with  access to  documentation  on  different  aspects  relating, 
to the predicament  and protection of refugees.  The Community  is also backing  a scheme 
in Germany  to survey  and report on prison  conditions, with  a particular  emphasis on  the 
plight  of  asylum  seekers  awaiting  deportation. 

Under the fourth  Lomé Convention, seven countries (Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, 
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda) have received a total of ECU  13  580  000  for 
measures  to  help  refugees,  returnees  and  displaced  persons. 

The  Community  budget  also  allows  funding  to  be  provided  for  the  creation  and 
operation  of  specialized  centres  in  Member  States  to  provide  medical,  welfare  and 
psychological  assistance  to  refugees  and  asylum  seekers, most of  them  from  developing 
countries, who  have  suffered  torture  or  other  forms  of  abuse. 

(e) 

Prisoners 

Funding  is provided  for  special  projects  to help  prisoners,  a topic  close  to the  heart 
of  Parliament.  Education  schemes  for  prisoners  pursue  practical  objectives  relating  to 
their  reintegration  into  society. 
In  Russia,  education  and  training  are  central  to  a 
particularly ambitious project, the components of which include education and  information 
services for prisoners, training for prison  staff  and the formation  of a network  of  lawyers 
to represent prisoners and push for  reforms  etc.  With a view to raising public awareness, 
another  project  seeks  to  publish  as  widely  as  possible  first-hand  reports  on  prison 
conditions.  Chapter  B7-52  also  helps  fund  a  range  of  activities  aimed  at  promoting 
prisoners'  rights  in  Africa.  The  key  vectors  for  this  are  education  and  raising  public 
awareness, of which  schemes to help NGOs operating in  crises and campaigns to  get the 
competent  African  authorities  to  ratify  international  conventions  on  human  rights  are  a 
natural  extension.  Other  projects,  e.g.  a project  in  Palestine,  involve  legal  assistance  to 
prisoners  regarding  both  their  defence  and  the  conditions  in  which  they  are  held. 

(f) 

Victims  of  torture 

The final document of the World  Conference  on Human Rights, which  took  place in 
Vienna  in  June  1993,  describes  torture  as  the  worst  violation  of  human  dignity. 
Parliament  endorsed  this  view  by  creating  a  special  budget  heading  for  the  mental, 
physical  and  social  rehabilitation  of  victims  of  torture.  In  1995  ECU  5.5  million  was 
earmarked  for  this purpose,  enabling specialist organizations to assist  local  organizations 
with training  and start-up help for  activities including training, legal advice,  investigation 
and  welfare  assistance.  Other  schemes  involve  education,  research  and  documentation. 
Support  also  goes  to  war  victims,  as  in  former  Yugoslavia,  where  activities  have  been 
stepped  up  this  year. 

27 

1.5.2  - 

Priority groups for  protection  and aw areness-raising schem es 

(a) 

Women 

Women  are  at once both  a vulnerable  group  and  a group  with  a key  role  in  society. 
Their  fundamental  rights  are  reaffirmed  in  the  Vienna  document  as  being  an  integral, 
inalienable  and  inseparable  part  of  universal  human  rights,  and  their  role  is  recognized 
and set out in the declaration and the platform  for action adopted at the World  Conference 
held in Peking in  September  1995.  The international  community  has reiterated the need 
for women to participate fully  and equally in civil, political, economic, social and cultural 
life,  and  to  become  more  involved  in  decision-making  in  all  these  areas. 

The  Community  budget  contributed  almost  ECU  2  million 

to  help  women's 
organizations  and  NGOs  from  the  developing  countries  and  central  and  eastern  Europe 
prepare and take part in all stages of the Peking conference  and the NGO forum  that took 
place  on  its  fringes.  Fifty  representatives  of  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  women's 
organizations  were thereby  given  the chance to take part  in the conference  and the NGO 
forum.  This support  was accompanied  by training  activities for  representatives of NGOs 
and  the  organization  of  preparatory  conferences  and  seminars, the  conclusions  of  which 
provided  material  for  the  conference.  The  first  schemes  directly  concerning  the 
implementation  of  the  conference's  results  have  also  been  launched,  e.g.  a  training 
programme  to  make  organizations  defending  women's  rights  in  Kenya,  Zambia  and 
Tanzania  aware  of  the  operational  priorities  arising  from  the Peking  Conference. 

From  the  standpoint  of  prevention  and  protection,  education  plays  a  crucial  part  in 
action  on  behalf  of  women.  Schemes  have  been  targeted  on  groups  of  disadvantaged 
women,  such  as  one  to  train  displaced  or  marginalized  women  in  Colombia  and  make 
them  aware  of  their  rights.  Defending  women's  rights  is  also  the  crux  of  an  scheme 
targeting women  detained in Mexican rehabilitation  centres.  A project  carried out as part 
of the Phare-democracy  programme offers  women in Poland and Albania training courses 
and seminars on specific topics, including family  planning, the media, democratic practice 
and  women's  rights).  Violence  against  women  lies  at the  centre  of  a project  in  Turkey, 
which  involves  disseminating  information  on  the  different  forms  such  violence  can  take 
and  on  the  means  of  defence  available.  An  original  project  under  way  in  El  Salvador 
employs  a different  approach:  there  members  of the police  and  armed  forces  are  trained 
to  counter  and  deal  with  violence  against  women.  Chapter  B7-52  also  provides  support 
for  special medical, psychological  and  welfare  schemes to help women  victims of  sexual 
violence, particularly  in former  Yugoslavia.  A project  in Turkey  combines therapy  with 
legal  assistance  and  public  information  activities. 

Some schemes are aimed at making civil society and human rights organizations more 
aware of violence  against women.  With prevention  in mind, a programme  in Poland  and 
the  Czech  Republic bolsters the  efforts  of  local  NGOs through  the organization  of  press 
campaigns  and  publicity  on  trafficking  in  women  and  information  and  assistance  for 
potential  victims.  A  scheme  in  the  Caribbean  primarily  involves  training  human  rights 
organizations  to  take  account  of  women's  equality  in  the  broader  context  of  protecting 
fundamental  rights. 

Many  projects  exist  to  counter  discrimination  against  women  and  promote  their 

28 

involvement 

participation  in  political,  social  and  economic  life. 
In  Morocco  there  is  a  project  to 
provide  basic  education  as part  of  efforts  to tackle the illiteracy  that  affects  almost  80% 
of  Moroccans.  A  project  in  India  provides  a  special  training  programme  to  strengthen 
women's 
in  political  decision-making  both  as  voters  and  elected 
representatives. 
In  Chile  a  project  has  brought  together  1600  women  holding  local 
political  office  for  a  discussion  on  the  discrimination  they  experience  as  political 
representatives.  Under  the Phare-  and Tacis-democracy  programmes  young  women  are 
receiving  education  and  special  training  to  stimulate  women's  participation  in  the 
democratization  process.  Another  project  in  Poland  is  designed  to  develop  women's 
ability  to take part  in economic life  and strengthen forms of  solidarity  via the creation of 
women's networks and the activities of women's movements and associations.  In Slovenia 
there  is  a  training  programme  for  a  group  of  women  wishing  to  represent  women's 
interests in the workplace and in trade unions, who will in their turn visit firms to educate 
other  women  in  these  issues.  The  Tuzla women's  association  has  received  Community 
funding  for  its  efforts  to  promote  the  social,  economic,  political  and  cultural  rights  of 
women  in  Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

Women  are  often  among  the  first  victims  of  armed  conflict:  keeping  or  restoring 
peace  is  a  precondition  for  their  civil,  political  and  social  emancipation.  Their 
contribution  to  peace  is  no  less  vital:  the  twin  objectives  of  peace  and  women's 
emancipation  are  served  by  a  training  and  awareness  programme  for  Israeli  and 
Palestinian  women. 

The  Community  budget  also provides for  funding  of  equal opportunities  activities in 
Member  States.  The  execution  of  the  third  equal  opportunities  programme  (1991-95) 
covers  not  only  the  application  and  development  of  legislation  but  the  integration  of 
women  in  the  workplace  and  the  improvement  of  their  social  status.  Considerable 
backing  is  also  given  to  the  European  Women's  Lobby,  the  Union's  largest  body 
coordinating  the  activities  of  national  and European  women's NGOs,  which  has  become 
a  crucial  partner  in  Community  activities  in  this  field.  ECU  200  000  was  granted  to 
European  NGOs  proposing  a  clear  programme  of  activities  for  the  NGO  forum  on  the 
fringes  of  the  Peking  Conference,  which  also  received  Community  funding  for  the 
publication  of  its  daily  newspaper. 

(b) 

Journalists  and  other  media  professionals 

Journalists  and  other  media professionals  have  a special  role  in  the  democratization 
process.  Many  projects  have  been  carried  out  to  develop  their  professional  skills,  instil 
professional  ethics, organize  the profession,  improve their  social  status  etc.  At the  same 
time  there have been  specific  activities concerning  their  role  in the  electoral  process  and 
their  part  in  the  promotion  of  tolerance, peace  and  reconciliation  (see  1.3.1). 

(c) 

Magistrates,  lawyers  and  court  and  prison  staff 

Schemes  targeted  at  magistrates,  lawyers  and  other  court  staff  account  for  a  major 
part  of the support  given to the strengthening or  restructuring  of judicial  systems.  These 
schemes  are  geared  to  the specific  needs  and legal  traditions  of  the  countries  concerned. 
The  rebuilding  of  the judicial  apparatus  calls  for  measures  to  provide  basic  training  to 
meet  the  most  pressing  needs.  The  Community's  support  also  covers  original  measures 

29 

aimed  at  underpinning  or  stimulating  the  modernization  of  judiciaries.  Educating 
magistrates  and  lawyers  in  specific  areas  (juvenile  delinquency,  violation  of  laws 
governing  the press  etc.)  is  also  vital  (see  1.2.2). 

(d) 

The  armv. police  and  security  forces 

The  army,  police  and  security  forces  play  a vital  role  in  society, particularly  where 
the freedom  of the individual  is concerned.  This is why  there is a need  to increase  their 
awareness of fundamental  rights  through  special  schemes that take account  of  the nature 
of their  work.  The  Community  has been  funding  an  innovative  scheme  since  1992; the 
scheme in question  is a multiannual  human rights programme in Central  America,  which 
gives priority  to projects  aimed  at educating and increasing the awareness of members of 
the  police,  armed  forces,  judiciary  and  prison  services.  What  is  innovative  about  the 
scheme  is  that  it  cements  a  close  partnership  in  the  assessment  of  the  human  rights 
situation  and special projects  concerning legal  aid and support for  the judiciary.  In  1995 
a  total  of  ECU  1 559  000  was  granted  for  nine  projects  under  Chapter  B7-52.  Such 
activities  have  been  extended  to  the  countries  of  South  America. 

II.  GEOGRAPHICAL  APPROACH 

The  geographical  breakdown  of  human  rights  activities  is  mainly,  though  not 
exclusively,5 based on the structure of Chapter  B7-52.  The data below refers  back  to the 
more  detailed  descriptions  given  in  the  thematic  section. 

2.1 

Developing  countries  (except Latin America) 

a)  ACP  Countries 
The  largest  group  of  operations  relating  to  the  exercise  of  government  concern 

electoral  assistance  and  strengthening  the  rule of  law. 

Almost  22%  of  the  resources  available  under  heading  B7-522  have  been  spent  on 
electoral  assistance, which  included  operations  in Haiti, Ghana  and Zaire.  Contributions 
have  taken  the  form  of  technical  assistance,  training  for  deputies  and  the  funding  of 
equipment  along  with  direct  participation  in  the  electoral  processes. 

Strengthening the rule of law accounted  for  about a third of the grants made in  1995: 
schemes  financed  included  the  reconstruction  and  consolidation  of  the judicial  systems 
in  Burkina  Faso,  Rwanda  and  Haiti,  missions  by  human  rights  observers  to  Rwanda, 
Burundi and Angola and backing for institutional  reforms  and operations aimed at making 
the prison  system  more humane.  Rwanda received  special  attention: technical  assistance 
for  the reconstruction  of the judicial  system, support  for  the special  tribunal  and  funding 
for  a human  rights  observer  mission. 

In  the  case  of  operations  aimed  at  strengthening  civil  society,  priority  was  given  to 

5 

Given  that  the  Chapter's  two  thematic  guidelines  impose  no  geographical  limits  on  the 
measures  funded. 

30 

increasing  awareness  of  education  in  human  rights.  The  situation  of  women  and  the 
education  of  children  were the  subject  of  many  schemes.  Among  the  support  provided 
for  the  most  vulnerable  groups,  special  attention  was  given  to  street  children  in  Haiti. 

Some  125 NGOs received Community  funding  to help them prepare  and take part in 
the different  stages of the Peking Conference  and the NGO forum,  and  in the first world 
conference  on  the  sexual  exploitation  of  children,  which  was held  in  Stockholm. 

Support  for  an  independent,  pluralist  and  responsible  press  accounted  for  16%  of 
financial  commitments under heading B7-522.  An operation to set up a warning network 
for dealing with violations of the freedom  of the press warrants a special mention  because 
of  its  innovative  and  experimental  nature. 

Almost  3% of  the  resources  available  were  spent  on  innovative  schemes  in  the  area 
of conflict  prevention  and settlement, including the setting-up of a special  rapid-response 
fund  for  use in emergencies  and  a series of training programmes  on methods for  settling 
conflicts. 

Projects  to help  victims of torture have also received  Community  funding.  The bulk 
of the resources went to specialized centres in the Union providing medical, psychological 
and  welfare  services  to  refugees  or  asylum  seekers  who  have  suffered  torture  or  other 
forms of abuse in their country of origin.  Other projects aimed at helping set up and  fund 
the  operation  of  such  centres  in  the  countries  concerned,  notably  by  means  of  special 
training  sessions  (e.g.  in  Kenya  and Haiti). 

b) The policy  of promoting human  rights in the Maghreb under  Chapter B7-52  is still 
at a very  early  stage.  A large-scale programme  covering the entire  region  and beyond  is 
aimed  at  strengthening  civil  society  by  means  of  training  and  information  activities 
targeted  on  developing  the  know-how  and  skills  of  NGOs  in  the  Arab  world.  This 
programme  constitutes  the  second  stage  of  a  scheme  launched  last year.  Strengthening 
civil  society  also  lies  at the root of  a scheme to  make  education  authorities  aware  of the 
need  to  incorporate  human  rights  issues  into  primary  and  secondary  school  textbooks. 
This was accompanied by a conference  on the subject  of teaching human rights, technical 
assistance  for  the  revision,of  textbooks  and  a  special  training  programme  for  teachers. 
Also  in  the  field  of  education,  a programme  in Morocco  combines  measures  to  combat 
female  illiteracy  with  components  designed  to  make  them  aware  of  their  rights  and 
training.  In Algeria Community  funding  has also helped produce and distribute a weekly 
magazine  focusing  on  the  fundamental  issues  confronting  the  country's  society  and 
political  system.  Note  also  the  support  provided  for  an  innovative  scheme  in  Tunisia, 
which  brings  together  experts  from  the  region  and  elsewhere  to  debate  the  issue  of  the 
death  penalty  in  Islamic  countries. 

c)  The  Community  also  backed  projects  in  the  Middle  East 

It  helped  fund 
accompanying  measures  and  preparations  for  the  electoral  process.  This  included  the 
setting-up  of  a  computerized  electoral  register  and  the  presence  of  media  monitors  to 
gauge the degree of  independence of the media in the run up to  and during the elections. 
The  sensitive  issue  of  prison  conditions  was  the  subject  of  a  scheme  to  provide  legal 
assistance  on  various  issues  relating  to  the  basic  rights  of  Palestinian  prisoners.  Other 
schemes are  specifically  aimed  at developing  a climate of peace and reconciliation  in the 

31 

two  communities,  involving  innovative  measures  to  stimulate  dialogue  and  mutual 
understanding (e.g. the peace trainees programme, in which Palestinian and Israeli women 
were  trained  together). 

d) Most of the projects funded  in Asia concern women  and children.  In India training 
and  assistance  activities  were  financed  to  increase  the  involvement  of  women  in  the 
democratic  decision-making  process  -  both  as  electors  and  as  elected  representatives. 
Support was also provided for  a public education  campaign on child labour in India.  The 
next  stage  of  this  scheme, the  ultimate  aim  of  which  is the  abolition  of  child  labour,  is 
- for reasons of realism - aimed at offering  those employing children  alternative solutions. 

In  accordance  with Parliament's  wish to promote human  rights  in  countries  about to 
undergo  a  change  of  sovereignty,6  funding  was  granted  for  the  implementation  in 
Hong  Kong  of  projects  involving  human  rights  education  and  information.  These 
innovative measures consist primarily  of the development of a human rights database and 
interactive educational  software  on the issue.  Another project  consists of reinforcing  and 
popularizing  human  rights  through  the publication  and  distribution  of  documentation  in 
Chinese  and  the  constitution  of  suitable  teaching  materials. 

Mention  must  also  be  made  of  the  support  given  to  the  preparation  of  the  fourth 
World  Conference  on  Women,  which  took  place  in  Peking  in  September  1995,  support 
which  took  the  form  of  back-up  to  help  NGOs  and  women's  associations  from  all  over 
the  world  contribute  and  take  an  active  part  in  the  conference  and  the  accompanying 
NGO  forum. 

2.2 

Latin  America 

Support for  democratization  and human rights in Latin  America is aimed  at assisting 
the  Latin  American  countries'  efforts  to  introduce  and  consolidate  the  rule  of  law  and 
promote  human  rights.  The  general  objectives  of  Community  aid  are  as  follows: 
* 
* 

to  foster  peace  in  countries  where  there  is still  conflict; 
to bring  about  a fundamental  change to make civil  society  more  structured,  better 
informed,  more responsible, more aware of its rights and responsibilities, more 
vigilant  and  more  demanding; 

* 

* 

to  encourage  complementarity  between  government  and  civil  society  in  a climate 
of  dialogue  and  negotiation,  the  aim  being  to  overcome  the  antagonisms  that 
have  dominated  the  past  decades; 

to bring  about  a shift  away  from  a culture of  violence  and  towards  one  of  peace, 

away  from  a  culture  of  confrontation  and  towards  one  of  negotiation. 

These  objectives 

inform  operations  financed  under 

the  budget  heading  for 
democratization  and human rights in Latin America, set up at the instigation of Parliament 
in  1990.  They  were  initially  confined  to  Central  America  and  Chile,  but  now  extend 
through  the  whole  of  South  America.  In  the period  1990-95  a total  of  ECU  72  million 
was  spent  on  328  projects. 

Budget  remark  on  heading  B7-5240  concerning  grants  for  certain  activities  pursuing 
human  rights  objectives. 

32 

In  1995 77 projects  received Community  funding.  The bulk  went to Latin  American 
institutions,  half  of  them  governmental  and  half  non-governmental,  both  national  and 
regional, and international organizations conducting human rights activities in the region.7 
NGOs  have  not  been  the  sole  beneficiaries  of  Community  support:  funding  has  been 
provided  for  other  schemes  proposed  by  entities  of  civil  society  (local  government, 
cooperatives, diverse  associations  etc.).  Support has also been  given  to new  prosecution 
services in Guatemala and Honduras and a series of operations to combat immunity  from 
prosecution,  back  penal  reform,  foster  equal  access  to justice  for  all,  train  judges  and 
court  staff  and  help  set  up  bodies  to  supervise  the judiciary.  At  continental  level,  the 
Inter-American  Court  of  Human  Rights  has  received  Community  aid,  as  have  schemes 
aimed  at  developing  legal  assistance  for  organizations  having  recourse  to  the  Inter-
American  system  for  the  protection  of  human  rights.  A  total  of  ECU  2  195  500  was 
spent  on  12 operations.  Other  operations  included  training  and  improving  conditions  in 
both  adult  and juvenile  detention  centres  in Venezuela  and  Guatemala. 

One approach has been to support the efforts  of Latin American governments to bring 
the security  and  armed forces  under effective  civilian  control  and to separate the roles of 
these  institutions  in  a  democratic  state.  The  Community  has  backed  projects  to  train 
armed  forces  in  Central  America,  the  Andes, Paraguay  and  Peru  in  the  field  of  human 
rights  and  the  rule  of  law.  Financial  and  technical  assistance  was  also  provided  for 
similar  schemes  for  El  Salvador's  police  force. 

In  1995 the  Community  budget  continued  to back the development  of  the  institution 
of human  rights prosecutors  in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia  and Costa Rica and its 
creation  in Panama  and Nicaragua.  This support helps guarantee  the institution's  crucial 
independence and the decentralization needed to extend the scope of its activities.  It  also 
includes  training  for  the  institution's  staff. 

The multiannual  programme to promote human  rights in Central  America, which got 
under  way  in  1992, warrants  special  attention  for  the way  it cements  a partnership  in  the 
area  of human  rights  and,  more  specifically,  projects  to provide legal  assistance,  support 
for  the judiciary  and  training  for  target  groups,  among  them  members  of  the police  and 
armed  forces  most  involved  in  the  consolidation.of  democracy. 

Support  for  the  electoral  process  has  covered  not  only  the  conduct  of  specific 
elections  but  operations  to  educate  young  people  in this  act of  citizenship.  Funding  has 
also  been  granted  for  the  modernization  of  political  parties  to  foster  consultation  and 
negotiation. 

Note  also  the  specific  Community  support  for  projects  in  Chile  and  Argentina  to 
provide  medical  and  psychological  care  for  victims  of  torture  and  other  forms  of 
inhumane  and degrading treatment.  These activities are carried out in specialized  centres 
and  also  include  research  into  the  treatment  of  victims  and  the  psychosocial  effects  of 
torture  on  individuals  and  society  as  a whole. 

Some  Caribbean  countries,  in  particular  Haiti,  are  covered  by  other  budget  headings, in 
particular  B7-522. 

33 

Central  and  Eastern  Europe,  the  Commonwealth  of  Independent  States  and 

2.3 
Mongolia 

The  Democracy  programme  launched  in  1992  on  a  pilot  basis  under  the  Phare 
programme  is  aimed  at  encouraging  the  consolidation  of  democratic  societies  governed 
by the fundamental  principles of the rule of law in Central and Eastern Europe.  Extended 
to the  countries  of  the  Commonwealth  of Independent  States (CIS)  and Mongolia  under 
the  Tacis  programme  in  1993, it  focuses  on: 

teaching  politicians  representing  different  parties  (deputies  and  elected  local  and 
regional  representatives)  and parliamentary  staff  the rules  and  methods  of  parliamentary 
practice  and  organization; 

reinforcing  NGOs  and  associations  which,  by  their  nature  and  specific  activities, 

can  make  an  ongoing  contribution  to  the promotion  of  a pluralist  democratic  society; 

the  transfer  of  specific  know-how  and  technical  skills  relating  to  democratic 
practices  and  the  rule  of  law  to  professional  bodies  and  associations  in  the  countries 
concerned. 

Strengthening  civil  society  is  central  to  the  operations  conducted  in  Central  and 
Eastern  Europe.  Seen  as  a  key  to  the  democratization  process, this  area  of  activity  has 
given  rise  to  operations  to  educate  the  general  public  and  target  groups  in  civics,  the 
promotion  of forms  of  local  democracy,  measures to make government  more  transparent 
and the development of a social partnership between  all the key players in society.  Many 
schemes  aimed  at  or  involving  chambers  of  commerce  (Slovenia  and  Russia),  trade 
unions,  associations,  social  organizations  link  the  democratization  process  and  the 
transition to a market economy, underscoring aspects related to the common  responsibility 
of all social forces, institutional  and otherwise.  An active partnership with NGOs permits 
the  Community  to  make  a  practical  contribution  to  pluralism  and  the  establishment  of 
genuine  democratic  citizenship. 

Many  schemes  pursued  equal  opportunities,  particularly  for  women.  The  emphasis 
was  on  increasing 
through 
predominantly  educational  projects  designed  to  promote  their  role,  capacity  to  organize 
and  integration  into  the  social  fabric. 

in  civil,  social  and  political 

involvement 

their 

life 

The issue  of  national  minorities  lay  at the root of  a variety  of  operations.  Particular 
attention  was  accorded  to  fostering  dialogue  between  the  authorities  and  representatives 
of  minorities  in  the  interests  of  negotiation  and  conciliation.  Stimulating  cooperation 
networks  at  local  and  regional  level  is  also  important.  The  chief  means  employed  are 
education,  developing  awareness  and  promoting  methods  for  settling  conflict.  Legal 
assistance  to  ensure  that  new  legislation  dealing  with  minorities  is  consistent  with  the 
European  Convention  on  Human  Rights  is likewise  vital. 

The  Community  has  also  provided  funding  for  projects  to  rehabilitate  victims  of 
issue  in  Slovenia,  Albania, 

torture  and  research  and  increase  public  awareness  of 
Romania  and  the  Baltic  states. 

2.4 

Former Yugoslavia  (except  Slovenia) 

34 

Chapter  B7-52  provided  ECU 6.5 million  towards  the  peace  process  and  the 

promotion  of human  rights  in the Former  Yugoslav  republics. 

Priority  was  accorded  to  supporting  the  media,  primarily  through  the  purchase  of 
equipment and materials.  The aim is to help maintain and consolidate independent  media, 
which  remain  the only  real  forum  for  free  expression  in the region.  It  is  also  vital  to 
provide  access  to  reliable  sources  of  information.  This  is  backed  up  by  training  to 
improve  the professional  standards  of journalists  and other  media  staff.  Other  projects 
have focused on increasing  awareness of the role of the media in society, their pluralizing 
function  and their  special  responsibility  in the  democratic  development  of  society  and 
human  rights. 

Another  line  of  action  has been  to  reinforce  local  associations  and  institutions  and 
support  local  or  external  schemes  to  promote  multiparty  democracy.  In  particular  this 
involves  supporting  practical  schemes  to  bring  communities  together  and  to  foster 
reconciliation  and  coexistence  between  different  ethnic  groups,  including  schemes 
concerning  information  and education  on human  rights  and democratic  practices. 

The  Community  budget  provides  aid for the victims  of serious  violations  of human 
rights  or humanitarian  law.  Such  help  consists primarily  of support  for  schemes  set up 
on  the  spot  or  in  a  Member  State  by  bodies  and  institutions  specializing  in  the 
psychological,  physical  and  social  treatment  of  severely  traumatized  people.  Special 
attention has been  accorded to women victims of sexual violence and children, who have 
been particularly  seriously affected  by the atrocities committed.  Almost ECU  1.5  million 
has been  spent  on  measures  of this  kind. 

2.5 

Turkey 

There  is  a  special  budget  heading  for  the  promotion  of  human  rights  and 
strengthening the rule of law in Turkey.  Most of the projects backed involve training and 
raising  awareness.  Targeted  on  court  staff,  lawyers  and other  legal  professionals,  they 
also  provide  for  the  development  of  practical  teaching  reflecting  the  realities  on  the 
ground.  Associations  being  thin  on the ground  in  Turkey,  an  effort  has been  made  to 
reinforce  Turkish  NGOs,  in  particular  by  enabling  them  to  take  part  in  international 
human  rights  conferences  and  make  study  visits  to  similar  organizations  abroad.  This 
support  is combined  with  activities  aimed at disseminating  sound  information  on human 
rights  and training  primary  schoolteachers. 

Community  aid  also  goes to schemes  aimed  at providing  psychosocial  assistance to 
women  victims of violence.  This  assistance is backed  up by measures to increase  public 
awareness  of  the  issue.  Another  project  involves  training  medical  experts  working  in 
particularly  difficult  conditions,  especially  in south-eastern  Anatolia. 

35 

B. 

PROCEDURAL  ASPECTS  OF  THE  FINANCING  OF  ACTIVITIES  TO 
PROMOTE HUMAN  RIGHTS AND  DEMOCRACY 

The  creation  of  Chapter  B7-52  in  1994  at Parliament's  initiative  has helped  to  highlight 
the  dimension  human  rights  have  assumed  in  Community  policies  since  the  entry  into 
force  of  the  Maastricht  Treaty.  Parliament  wanted  to  ensure  consistent  and  transparent 
management of expenditure on the promotion of human rights and democracy outside the 
Community.  In  1995  the  Chapter  contained  eight  budget  headings  covering  different 
subjects  or  geographical  areas  and  the  upwards  trend  in  funding  continued. 

The  budget  headings  of  Chapter  B7-52  are  subject  to  special  provisions  to  ensure  the 
coordination,  transparency  and  effectiveness  of  initiatives. 

1. 

Coordination 

The  inter-departmental  Human Rights Coordinators  Group was set up in  1991 to concert 
the  efforts  of  the  various  Commission  departments  involved  in the promotion  of  human 
rights  and  democracy  within  and  without  the  Community.  The  Group  has  laid  down 
guidelines  and  identified  references  and  common  criteria  for  selecting  projects  and 
harmonizing  procedures  under  these  headings.  The  budget  implementing  Regulation 
specifies  that  "proposals shall be drawn  up on the basis of guidelines and criteria  defined 
by the permanent  inter-departmental  Human Rights Coordination  Group  (No 52)" .  The 
meetings  of  the  Group  are  also  a  means  for  disseminating  information  about  positions 
adopted  by  the  Community  in  international  regional  forums. 

Administrators  of  these  Chapter  headings  can  consult  each  other  in  ad  hoc  working 
parties  set up  for  each  project  once  the opinion  of  the other  departments  concerned  and, 
where applicable, the Delegation, has been obtained.  Any project  requires a Commission 
decision, prior to which there is a written  procedure during which the agreement of those 
administrating budget headings in this Chapter, the Legal Service, DG  XIX (Budget)  and 

o 
DG  XX  (Financial  Control)  is  obtained. 

2. 

Transparency 

There are a number of different  reports each year on the use of these appropriations.  This 
subject  area  is  dealt  with  horizontally  in  specific  reports  on  the  implementation  of 
operations to promote  human  rights  and democratization  (1992-93  and  1994) and on  the 
implementation  of  the  resolution  of  28  November  1991 of  the  Council  and the  Member 
States  meeting  within  the  Council  on  human  rights, democracy  and  development  (1992, 
1993  and  1994).  The  General  Report  on  the  activities  of  the  European  Communities 
gives  an overall  picture  of the implementation  of budget headings.  In  addition, there  are 
reports  on  the  use  of  individual  Chapter  B7-52  headings. 

The  Member  of the  Commission  responsible  for  headings  B7-5240  and  B7-5270  reports 
on them to Parliament  and to the relevant parliamentary  committees.  Parliament  also gets 

Apart  from  the  microprojects  component  of  the Phare  democracy  programme,  which  is 
administered  directly  by  the  Delegations  without  a written  procedure  being  required. 

36 

information  via  the  Commission's  answers to  written  and  oral  questions. 

The Commission has also made an effort  to provide non-governmental  organizations with 
more  information  on  the  sources  of  Community  financing  in  this  field,  the  main  source 
of  information  being the  "Digest of  Community  resources  available for the financing  of 
The  number  of  NGO  representatives  visiting  the  Commission 
NGO  activities". 
departments  concerned  to  get the  information  they  need  is  also  rising  every  year. 

3. 

Effectiveness 

The effectiveness  of  efforts  to promote human  rights  and  democratization  depend  on  the 
quality  of  the  projects.  It  is  also  closely  related  to  the  establishment  of  an  open  and 
constructive  partnership  with  international  and  regional  organizations. 

* 

Identification  of  recipients  and  projects 

Recipients  may  by  public  institutions,  international  or  regional  organizations,  NGOs  or 
other types of voluntary  association.  Most budget headings  do not  exclude any  category 
of  recipient  but  those  for  Tacis  and  Phare place  priority  on  cooperation  between  NGOs 
of  the  EU  and  the  recipient  countries. 

The  two  ways  of  selecting  candidates  -  calls  for  proposals  under  the  Phare-  and 
Tacis-Democracy  programmes  and  spontaneous  applications  for  financing  under  other 
headings  - remain  broadly  the  same. 

More dialogue with applicants on the formulation  of requests has helped identify  projects 
that match  the applicant's objectives  with the priorities  of the  Community.  This  ongoing 
dialogue  provides  the  Commission  with  the  information  needed  to  check  in  advance  on 
the reliability  of  the  applicant  organizations  and the feasibility  of their proposed  projects 
in  terms of  their  capacity  to  carry  them  out.  It  also  enables  the  Commission  to  become 
better  acquainted  with the NGOs and their constraints, needs  and priorities thanks to the 
ever  increasing  number  of  visits  of  NGO  representatives  (not  necessarily  already  in 
receipt  of  a grant)  to the  Commission  departments  concerned.  This has led to  a  flexible 
form  of  partnership  which  does not  depend  on the  status of the NGO  as is the  case with 
the UN  and the Council  of Europe.  The procedure is not, however,  satisfactory  in  terms 
of  the  visibility  of  Community  aid. 

Selection  through  calls for  proposals has the advantage of transparency  and some  degree 
of  visibility.  The  drawback  is  a lack  of  flexibility  which  means  that  some  of  the  funds 
are earmarked for  ad hoc operations with objectives  laid down by the Commission  on the 
basis of EU political priorities and some for projects costing less than ECU  10 000, which 
are  carried  out  under  the  supervision  of  the  Delegation  by  local  NGOs  of  the  Phare 
recipient  countries  with  no  requirement  to have  a partner  organization. 

The desire to become better acquainted with the reality on the ground so as to ensure that 
proposed  operations  are pertinent  in the local  context  has inspired  a pro-active  approach 

April  1995  edition  (VIII/222/95-EN). 

37 

and this has led to  the first missions of  independent  experts with  the job  of  identify  new 
areas  of  activity  for  the  Commission  (examples  being  Ethiopia,  Cambodia  and  Haiti). 
Such  missions  may  involve  evaluation  of  projects  that  have  already  been  granted 
Community  aid.  Also  worth  noting  are  the  preliminary  operations  with  a  view  to 
electoral  assistance,  which  are  preparatory  missions  are  sent  at  a  very  early  stage  to 
identify  requirements  and  establish  a plan  of  action. 

* 

Monitoring  and  evaluation  of  projects 

During implementation 

A special effort  has been made to improve the monitoring of projects at all stages, mainly 
by  carrying  out  ongoing  evaluations  based  on  checks  on  organizations  in  receipt 
Community  grants. 

Independent  consultants  and  agencies  have  been  called  in  to  evaluate  certain  groups  of 
projects  under  some  of  these  budget  headings,  and,  via  the  delegations,  carry  out 
documentary  and  on-the-spot  checks.  Evaluation  of  the  work  of  European  centres 
specializing  in  the  rehabilitation  of  torture  victims  required  consultation  of  medical 
experts.  The European  Human  Rights Foundation,  which  manages  macroprojects  under 
the  Phare-democracy  and  Tacis-democracy  programmes,  has  also  been  involved  in 
It  is  a  particularly  complex  task  in  view  of  the 
monitoring  project  implementation. 
partnership  structure  required  by  the Democracy  programme  and the  cofinancing  rules. 

Retrospective 

All recipients have to submit  a report on work  carried out and project  expenditure  before 
the  project  can  be  closed.  The  reports  are  considered  with  reference  to  the  initial  work 
plan,  objectives  and  budget  and  taking  account  of  a number  of  factors  such  as  its  cost-
effectiveness,  multiplier  effect  and the visibility  of  Community  aid.  If  any  irregularities 
are  found  which  the  organization  cannot  account  for,  a  mission  may  be  sent  by  the 
Commission  department  concerned  or  Financial  Control  and/or  the  Court  of  Auditors. 

In  May  1995  the  German  Development  Institute  published  its  final  report  on  the 
"Evaluation  of  positive  measures to promote human  rights  and  democracy  in  developing 
countries".  The aim of this exercise was to increase the impact of EU-financed  operations 
concerning human  rights and democracy.  The report's recommendations  and  conclusions 
emphasized  the  following: 

the objectives  set out in the applications for financing  were as a rule achieved:  the 
choice  of  contractors  had  been  an  important  factor  in  ensuring  the  effectiveness 
of  many  projects  and  a good  allocation  of  resources; 

the adoption  of measures, both  administrative  (simplification  of procedures,  more 
in-house  expertise,  better  coordination  and  harmonization  of  operations  and  the 
like)  and  strategic  (more  consistency,  better  choice  of  priorities  for  the  local 
context  and  greater  synergy  by  grouping  projects,  etc.)  likely  to  increase  the 
impact  of  operations. 

38 

* 

Relations  with  international  and  regional  organizations 

The  effectiveness  of  the  Community's  operations  also  depends  on  an  open  and 
constructive  partnership  with  international  organizations,  such  as the  UN Human  Rights 
Centre,  and  regional  bodies  (the  Council  of  Europe,  the  Organization  on  Security  and 
Cooperation  in  Europe,  the  Organization  of  American  States  and  the  Organization  of 
African  Unity).  These  partnerships  heighten  the  impact  of  operations  thanks  to  an 
approach  based  on  the  criteria  of  subsidiarity,  effectiveness,  visibility,  complementarity 
and  transparency. 

Definitions: 

- 

,  Subsidiarity: Community  aid should normally focus  on areas not covered by other 
organizations  but  it  may  make  a  contribution  to  specific  operations  reflecting 
shared  priorities; 
Effectiveness:  Community  aid  should  engender  synergy  with  other  initiatives; 
Visibility: by  adding these specific  headings to the Community  budget  Parliament 
obviously  wanted show what the European  Union  was doing for human rights and 
such  operations  should  therefore  be  clearly  identifiable  as EU  initiatives; 
Complementarity:  where  the  circumstances  warrant  (see  above),  Community  aid 
should  complement  other  organizations'  initiatives  as long  as Community  budget 
rules  are  complied  with; 
Transparency: whatever funds  are used (Chapter B7-70 budget headings,  financial 
and technical  assistance  appropriations, plus Lomé and social  funding),  they  must 
be  used  in  accordance  with  the budget  procedures provided  for  in the Treaty,  the 
Financial  Regulations,  Council  Directives  and  internal  implementing  rules.  The 
procedures  vary  according  to  the  budget  heading  concerned;  for  instance,  in  the 
case  of  financial  and  technical  assistance  the  initiative  comes  from  the  country 
concerned  but  the  human  rights  headings  (Phare-  and  Tacis-Democracy)  are,  for 
historical  reasons,  subject  to  a tendering  procedure.  Other  human-rights  related 
headings  may  be  used  directly  by  Commission  decision  on  a  formal  application 
for  grant  aid.  The  procedures  governing  these  financial  instruments  often 
determine  the  type  of  recipient  since  the  rules  confine  access  to  NGOs  in  some 
cases.  In  the  institutional  framework  procedures  vary  according  to the  operation 
envisaged,  for  example  joint  CFSP  action  prefigures 
the  use  of  budget 
appropriations  for  that  purpose. 

Relations  with  partners  are  also  influenced  by  other  considerations: 

economic:  it  is  difficult  to  agree to  an  administrative  surcharge  of  13% for  every 
project  of  a UN  agency; 

those  based  on  previous  experiences:  e.g.  the  good  experiences  with  the 
international  tribunals  for  the  former  Yugoslavia  and  Rwanda  and  he  difficulties 
encountered  with  the  observer  missions  to  Rwanda  and  Burundi. 

To  sum  up,  the  European  Community  presents  itself  to  international  and  regional 
organizations not  as a mere donor but  as a parmer  in the establishment  of  a human  rights 
policy,  as  set  out  in  the  Commission's  communication  of  22 November  1995. 

39 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  ever  increasing  range of  financial  resources  available  for  human  rights  projects  has 
widened  the  scope  of  action  both  geographically  and  in  terms of  what  can  be  done.  At 
this  stage, and in  view of the  difficulties  inherent  in  coordinating  such  an  extended  field 
of  action  and  the  evolving  requirements  of  activities  to promote  human  rights,  it  would 
be advisable  to see to  what  extent  these resources will  enable us to act  effectively  in  the 
medium and long term, react to emergencies and ensure the necessary  consistency, impact 
and  visibility. 

Good progress has been made not only in promoting a pro-active approach  in the various 
procedures and improving evaluation techniques tailored to human rights projects but also 
in  terms  of  overall  cohesion  and  impact. 

* 

* 

* 

Closer cooperation  with international  and regional organizations that promote  and 
protect human rights: dialogue with the UN, the OSCE and the Council  of  Europe 
has been  stepped  up  and this has been translated  into  operational  collaboration  in 
the form  of complementary  operations that draw on each organization's  experience 
and expertise and prevent overlaps or conflicts.10  This has also helped bring about 
a  greater  continuity  between  the  Community's  positions  in  international  and 
regional  forums  and  operational  activities. 

Incentives: the incentive amounts formula  included in the revised Lomé  IV makes 
available resources for institutional  and administrative reforms  as long as the ACP 
State  concerned  has  already  decided  to  finance  such  reforms  with  Lomé  funding 
earmarked  for  development  projects.  This  formula  is  part  of  the  "positive 
approach" outlined in the resolution on human rights, democracy  and development. 

Making 
instruments  more  complementary  and  ensuring  continuity:  some 
Chapter  B7-52  headings  have  been  conceived  as  a way  of  initiating  or  acting  as 
a catalyst for new projects, meaning that a hierarchy  of instruments is taking  form. 
Innovatory  projects  which  are  aided  on  a small  scale under  specific  headings  can 
later  be  developed,  if the  results  are  satisfactory,  on  a larger  scale  with  technical 
assistance  or  development  funding.  The  rules  on  technical  assistance  and 
development  cooperation  provide  for  continuity  of  action  in  a  geographical  area 
thanks  to  multiannual  programmes. 

These  efforts  have  not  yet  produced  notable  results,  mainly  because  of  the  lack  of  an 
overall  strategy  for  the  use  of  financial  resources  to  promote  human  rights  and 
democracy.  This  is why  the  Commission  has  embarked  on  an overview  of  work  in  this 
field  which,  following  an outline  of  what has  already  been  achieved,  sets  out  guidelines 
for  all  aspects  of  these  efforts  to  ensure  consistency,  effectiveness  and  visibility.  The 
documents  sets  out  the  following  proposals  to  ensure  the  optimal  use  of  the  financial 

10  Close operational relations have been established with the UN High  Commissioner 
for  Refugees,  the  Geneva  Human  Rights  centre,  the  OSCE's  Office  for  Democratic 
Institutions  and  Human  Rights  and  the  High  Commissioner  on  National  Minorities,  the 
Council  of  Europe  and  the European  Commission  for  Democracy  through  Law. 

40 

instruments  concerning  the  observance  and  promotion  of  human  rights. 

* 

Better  appreciation  at  all  levels  of  the  specific  nature  of  human  rights  activities. 

the  characteristics  of  the  recipients  (above  all  the  fact  that  their  work  is 
non-profit  making),  which  should  be  taken  into  account  throughout  the 
budgetary  procedure  (selection,  grants  of  funds,  evaluation,  payments); 

the need to differentiate  between short-term operations calling for  immediately 
available funding  and medium- to long-term  operations calling for  continuity 
of  funding  beyond  one  financial  year. 

Dovetail  the  use  of  different  types  of  instrument  in  order  to  avoid  overlaps  and 
provide  the  necessary  continuity  and  impact  (the  corollary  being  that  a 
proliferation  of budget headings with the same general wording about human rights 
but referring  to different  geographical areas should be avoided).  For instance, each 
project  could  also  be  assessed  in  terms  of  the  likelihood  of  its  attracting  other 
funding,  especially in cases where complementary operations are needed to achieve 
its  objectives. 

Develop  incentives to enhance the impact of such initiatives, one possibility  being 
to  extend  the  idea  of  incentive  amounts  outside  the  framework  of  the  Lomé 
Convention. 

Better  linkage  between  the thematic  and geographical  approaches  would  improve 
intervention  capacity  in  situations  where  a speedy  response  is  required. 

Enlarge  expertise  on  various  aspects  of  human  rights  and  increase  capacity  to 
initiate  actions  thanks  to  better  knowledge  of  the  specific  requirements  and 
features  of  the  countries  or  areas  in  question. 

Ensure that information  is accessible and that institutional  guidelines are taken into 
account  in  establishing  operational  priorities,  in  particular  by  promoting  a 
constructive  dialogue  with  Parliament. 

Enhance the continuity  between  action at Member  State and Community  levels by 
promoting  a regular  exchange  of  information  with  the Member  States. 

Increase  synergies  with  international  and  regional  organizations  by  medium-  and 
long-term  programming  of  priority  activities  to  be  implemented  jointly  and  bv 
developing  a  capacity  to  handle  one-off  operations. 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

4! 

ANNEX  1 

BUDGET HEADINGS  AND  OTHER FINANCIAL RESOURCES 
FOR FINANCING  THE PROMOTION  OF HUMAN  RIGHTS AND  DEMOCRACY 

A. 

Budget  headings  specific  to  the  promotion  of  human  rights  and  democracy: 
Chapter  B7-52  "European  Initiative  for  Democracy  and the  Protection  of  Human 
Rights" 

This  chapter  was  created  in  1994  at Parliament's  initiative  (resolution  of  14 May  1992). 
It covers  all  Community  budget  headings  specific  to the promotion  of human  rights  and 
democratic principles.  This rearrangement  was carried out in order to make  Community 
aid  in this  field  more  coherent  and  transparent  and  also  reflects  the new  responsibilities 
provided  for  in  the  Treaty  on  European  Union  and  some  structural  changes  within  the 
in  1995  -
Community 
ECU  75,960  million  as  against  ECU  59,1 million  in  1994  -  confirms  the  trend  towards 
allocating  more budgetary  resources  for  the  defence  and promotion  of  human  rights  and 
democracy.  These  resources  are  given  priority  in  the  report. 

The  total  amount  of 

these  appropriations 

institutions. 

B7-520 

Support for democracy  in the countries  of  central  and eastern Europe and in 
the  Balkans  (B7-5200  +  B7-5201) 

1. 

B7-5200 

Phare  programme  for democracy 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

1995  commitments 

ECU  10 000  0001 

ECU  10.000.000 

ECU  10 000  000 

ECU  10 000  000 

ECU  10 000  000 

Budget  remark 
The Phare programme  for  democracy  supports the  development  of democracy  and of the 
rule  of  law  and  the  development  of  civil  society  in  countries  of  central  and  eastern 
Europe. 

This  appropriation  can  be  used  to  support  measures  taken  by  women's  associations 
actively  campaigning  for  the  restoration  of  democracy  in  civil  life  in  the  countries  of 
central  and  eastern  Europe. 

Of which  ECU  5 million  under  Chapter  BO-40. 

42 

B7-5201 
peace  process  for the Republics  formerly  part of  Yugoslavia 

Community  measures  to  help  democracy  and  support  the 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  5 000 0002 

ECU  4  887  000 

ECU  5 000  000 

ECU  5 000  000 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  cover  the  financing  of  measures  to  support  the  peace 
process, calm tensions and develop democracy, by, among other measures, the promotion 
of  free  and  independent  media  in  the  Republics  formerly  part  of  Yugoslavia  (Slovenia, 
Croatia,  Serbia,  Montenegro, FYROM,  Bosnia-Herzegovina). 

Part  of this appropriation  should be utilized for  action in favour  of inter-ethnic  dialogue, 
the  media,  women,  democratic  groups,  press  freedom  and  support  for  most  vulnerable 
groups. 

Funding under this item is intended exclusively  for operations relating to  democratization 
and  respect  for  human  rights. 

3. 

Support for democracy  in the  Independent States  of  the former Soviet Union 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  10 000  0003 

ECU  10.000.000 

ECU  10 000  000 

ECU  10.000.000 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  cover  the  implementation  of  a programme  to  support 
democracy  and  the  rule  of  law  and to  develop  civil  society  in the Independent  States of 
the former  Soviet Union.  It comes from  the Tacis programme (technical  assistance to the 
Commonwealth  of  Independent  States  and  Georgia). 

Of which  ECU  1 million  (transfer) 

Of  which  ECU  5 million  under  Chapter  BO-40. 

43 

B7-5220 

Human rights and democracy  in the developing  countries 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  14 000  000 

ECU  14 000  000 

ECU  19 000  000 

ECU  18 978  243 

This appropriation is intended to cover support for operations promoting human rights and 
democracy  in  strict  association  with  the  development  policies  of  the  Community  in 
developing  countries,  including  those  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Mediterranean. 

It  also  covers the  financing  of  the  European  Centre  for  Democracy  and  Human  Rights, 
support  for  the  rights of  minorities  and vulnerable  groups  and the provision  of  technical 
expertise  on  issues  related  to  electoral  processes,  good  governance,  the  rule  of  law  and 
the  respect  of  human  rights. 

5. 

B7-5230 

Democratization  process  in Latin America 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  13 000  000 

ECU  12 999  978 

ECU  14 000  000 

ECU  14 000  000 

This  appropriation  is intended to  cover the financing of special  activities to  contribute  to 
the process  of  democratization  in Latin  America,  including  Haiti  and  Cuba,  particularly 
in  assisting  the  reintegration  into  civilian  life  of  those  who have  fought  in  civil  wars  in 
Central  America. 

It  may  also  be  used  to  support  democratically  elected  authorities  which  have  been  the 
victims  of  coup  attempts, and  which  retain  the confidence  of  the European  Community. 

Also  charged  to  this  article  is  support  for  funding  the  activities  of  the  Latin  American 
Parliament  in  the  context  of  the  agreements  with  the European  Parliament. 

This  article  also  covers  expenditure  on  studies,  meetings  of  experts,  conferences, 
congresses,  information  and  publications  directly  linked  with  the  achievement  of  the 
objective  of  the  measure  of  which  they  form  an  integral  part;  this  excludes  expenditure 
involved  in  the  management  of  these  measures  or  in  general  administration  (see 
Commission  communication  of  22  April  1992). 

44 

B7-524  Other measures  to  promote human  rights 

(B7-5240+B7-5241) 

6. 

B7-5240 
human rights  objectives 

Subsidies  for  certain  activities  of  organizations  pursuing 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  5 000  000 

ECU  5 000  000 

ECU  5  500  000 

ECU  5 490  000 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  cover  the  grant  of  aid  to  organizations  pursuing 
humanitarian  aims  and  promoting  human  rights,  such  as  the  European  Human  Rights 
Foundation  and  the  European  Foundation  for  Freedom  of  Expression. 

It  also  covers  the  administrative  costs  resulting  from  the  administration  of  this  item  and 
the  inspection  of  projects  which  have  received  grants. 

This  aid  is allocated  for  projects  to  be undertaken  in non-Community  states  (developing 
countries,  central  and  eastern  European  countries  and  others),  as  well  as  in  the 
Community  in  the  form  of  grants to: 

promote  Community  and  international  initiatives  aimed  at  abolishing  the  death 
penalty  in  all  countries  by  the year  2000, 
support  rehabilitation  centres  for  torture  victims  and  other  organizations  offering 
concrete  help to victims of human  rights abuses which  should  continue to  receive 
the  same  proportion  of  funding  from  the  item  as has  been  the  case  in  the  past, 
train  people  who  are  called  upon  to  teach  others  about  human  rights  (judges, 
lawyers,  civil  servants,  those  responsible  for  the  training  of  police  and  security 
forces,  teachers, etc.), 
reinforce  respect  for  the  rights  of  the  child  and  bring  assistance  to  children  who 
are victims  of  human  rights  violations, 
promote  training  with  organizations  specializing  in  the  defence  of  human  rights, 
support the observation  of prisons  at international  level  and the publication  of the 
reports  produced, 
promote  the  protection  of  human  rights  in  countries  where  there  is  soon  to  be  a 
change  of  sovereignty. 

Priority  is  accorded  to  projects  offering  concrete  and  direct  aid.  Projects  concerning 
research  and  academic  seminars  of particular  merit  are taken  into  consideration  in  so  far 
as is  possible. 

ECU  250  000  is  introduced  to  support  the  activities  of  the  International  Prison 
Observatory, 

45 

Also  charged  to  this  item  are  subsidies  to  organizations  devoted  to  the  protection  of 
human  rights,  such  as the European  Human  Rights  Foundation. 

ECU  200  000  is  intended  for  the European  Foundation  for  Free  Speech. 

7. 

B7-5241 
organizations working  to defence  and promote human rights in Turkey 

Aid  by  the  European  Union  for  non-govemmental 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  500  000 

ECU  500  000 

ECU  500  000 

ECU  413  000 

This appropriation  is intended to cover Community aid to non-governmental  organizations 
working  for  the  defence  and  promotion  of  human  rights  in  Turkey. 

8. 

B7-5270 
organizations  offering  concrete  help to victims  of  human rights abuses 

Support for rehabilitation centres for torture victims and for 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

ECU  2  000  000 

ECU  2  000  000 

ECU  5 000  000 

1995  commitments 

' 

ECU  5 000  000 

Budget  remark 

No  remark. 

46 

B. 

Summary  list of other budget  resources available for  promoting human  rights and 
democracy 

Chapter B7-30 

1. 

B7-3020 
persons 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

-1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

Cooperation  with  Asian  and  Latin  American  developing 
countries 

Aid  towards  self-sufficiency  for  refugees  and  displaced 

ECU  60  000  000 

ECU  59  831  000 

ECU  70  000  000 

ECU  69  898  000 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  cover  measures  to  promote  the  self-sufficiency  of 
refugees,  displaced persons and other population  groups, which have left  their  country  of 
origin  or  residence  because  of  fighting,  lack  of  security  or  other  man-made  crises. 

In  addition,  it  may  be  used  to  support  measures  to  make  survival,  repatriation  and 
resettlement possible.  In particular, the aid may be extended to cover the local  population 
in  the host  countries  and  countries  of  origin  , where  economic  conditions  so  require.  It 
may  also be  used,  if necessary,  to  support  actions  aimed  at the prevention  of  population 
displacement. 

These  measures  may  be  financed  jointly  with  non-governmental  organizations  and 
international  organizations. 

This appropriation  also coyers expenditure on studies, coordination  in the field, meetings 
of experts, conferences,  congresses, information  and publications  directly  linked  with  the 
achievement  of  the  objective  of  the  measure  of  which  they  form  an  integral  part;  this 
excludes  expenditure  involved  in  the  management  of  these  measures  or  in  general 
administration  (Commission  communication  of  22  April  1992). 

47 

Chapter B7-21 

Humanitarian aid 

2. 

B7-210,  B7-211, B7-214, B7-215, B7-217  and  B7-219 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

ECU  500  159  000 

ECU  499  315  000 

ECU  642  500  000 

ECU  641  927  000 

These  budget  headings  are  managed  by  the European  Community  Humanitarian  Office 
(ECHO)  and  are  intended  to  cover  the  financing  of  humanitarian  relief  operations  for 
people  of  non-member  countries  hit  by  natural  disasters  or  events  which  have  major 
economic  and  social  repercussions.  The  aid  is  granted  without  distinction  of  race, 
religion  or  politics.  It  takes  the  form  of  medical  teams,  medicines,  medical  equipment, 
various forms of  shelter, foodstuffs,  power and fuel  supplies, basic necessities of various 
kinds  and  cleansing  products.  It  may  also be  used  to  finance  psychological  support  for 
victims, measure to rehabilitate the legal system and medical  and psychological  assistance 
for  prisoners. 

Heading  B7-217  is targeted  at  refugees  and  displaced  persons  and  is  designed  to  tackle 
population  movements by  assisting repatriation  and resettlement  in the country  of  origin. 

Chapter B3-41 

Social  protection  and freedom  of  movement 

3. 

B3-4110 

Free  movement  of  workers,  measures  to  benefit  migrant 
workers, including  immigrants  from  outside  the  Union 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  9.200.000 

ECU  9.102.000 

ECU  9.599.000 

ECU  9  599  000 

In accordance with the provisions of the social action programme, the Commission  grants 
financial  aid to democratically  run bodies and associations representing  migrant workers, 
including those from  outside the Union, or operating for their benefit  (reception,  advisory 
and information  services, conferences  and debates on subjects  connected  with  immigrant 
promotion  schemes  favouring  the  integration  and  participation  of  migrant  workers, 
including  immigrants  from  outside  the  Union,  in  the  various  levels  of  social  and 
administrative  life  in the host  countries)  and promotes  measures in favour  of  integration, 
including, in areas of high population  density, the renovation  and construction  of housing 
and  the  provision  of  social  centres. 

48 

In  addition,  at  least  ECU  3  000  000  is  to  be  earmarked  for  measures  and  projects 
covering  the  care  and  integration  of  migrants  from  non  Community  countries  and  re-
settlers. 
implemented  by 
non-governmental  organizations. 

These  measures  and  projects  should  primarily  be 

Pursuant to its communication of 9 December 1987 the Commission intends to ensure the 
correct  implementation  of  Article 48(4)  of  the  Treaty  as  regards  the  access  to  public 
service jobs  in sectors  considered  as priority  areas in the Community. 

This appropriation will also cover the outstanding commitments in respect of expenditure 
on studies. 

This  item  also  covers  expenditure  on  studies,  meetings  of  experts,  conferences, 
congresses,  information  and  publications  directly  linked  with  the  achievement  of  the 
objective  or  measure  of  which  they  form  an  integral  part;  this  excludes  expenditure 
involved in the management of these measures or in general administration  (Commission 
communication  of  22  April  1992). 

49 

B3-4114 

Measures to combat racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism 

1995  appropriation 

ECU  5 400  0004 

Budget  remark 

This  action  is  intended: 

to promote  cooperation  with the various social institutions that advocate  tolerance 
and  oppose  racial  discrimination  and  xenophobic  and  anti-semitic  situations  and 
behaviour,  and  to  finance  effective  measures  in this  sphere, 
to launch and  develop measures to ensure a global Union  strategy to combat  racial 
and  xenophobic  violence, 
to launch  education  campaigns in the services of the national  administrations  most 
concerned  with  these  phenomena. 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  cover  the  financing  of  measures  to  promote  human 
rights  and  the  combating  of  racism  and  xenophobia. 

It  breaks  down  as  follows: 

ECU  550  000  is  earmarked  for  measures  to  combat  racism  and  xenophobia  in 
schools, 
ECU  200  000  will  be  used  for  NGOs  combating  racism,  xenophobia  and  anti-
semitism, 
ECU  50  000  is  earmarked  for  the  European  Migration  Network,  covering  the 
monthly  publication  in  'Migration  Newssheet'  and  the  french  edition  (Migrations 
Europe', 
ECU  500 000 will be used to fund  a campaign  against racism  and to highlight  the 
economic  and  cultural  importance  of  foreigners, 
ECU  100 000  will be  used to  fund  a measure to  combat racism  by  reminding  the 
public  of  past  events, 
ECU  250  000  is  allocated  to  the  European  Centre  for  Research  into  Racism  and 
Anti-Semitism, 
ECU  500  000  is  earmarked  for  measures,  to  be  implemented  with  the  European 
Trade  Union  Confederation,  designed  to  combat  xenophobia  aimed  at  migrant 
workers,  including  migrants  from  non-Community  countries, 
ECU  200  000  is  earmarked  for  a  study  of  the  cultural,  legal, political  and  social 
situation  of  minorities  in  the European  Community  and  in Europe  with  a view  to 
clamping  down  on  racism  and  xenophobia  before  it  develops. 

4 

Of  which  ECU  2  million  (transfer) 

50 

Chapter B3-40 

Social  dialogue  and employment" 

5. 

B3-4012 

Measures to achieve equality  between men and women 

1994  appropriation 

1994  commitments 

1995  appropriation 

1995  commitments 

Budget  remark 

ECU  6.  260.  000 

ECU  6.257.000 

ECU  6.420.000 

ECU  6. 419.  000 

This  appropriation  is intended  to finance  the  implementation  of the third  programme,  in 
particular  the  networks,  local  employment  initiatives  and  other  activities  and  projects. 

The Commission  contributes to study  and information  projects  in this field conducted  by 
national bodies and initiates action in conjunction  with the Advisory  Committee on Equal 
Opportunities  for  Women  and  Men. 

In connection  with these measures, the attention of those who effect  the expenditure must 
be  drawn  to  the  situation  of  women  who  form  part  of  minorities  in  society. 

Funds  are  also  provided  for  action  plans  designed  to  establish  temporary  refuges,  in 
particular  for  migrant  women  who  are victims  of  domestic  violence. 

This  item  also  covers  expenditure  on  studies,  meetings  of  experts,  conferences, 
congresses,  information  and  publications  directly  linked  with  the  achievement  of  the 
objective  or  measure  of  which  they  form  an  integral  part;  this  excludes  expenditure 
involved  in the management of these measures or in general  administration  (Commission 
communication  of  22  April  1992). 

51 

Chapter A-30 

General  subsidies 

6. 

A-3091 

Women's  forum 

1994  appropriation 

1995  appropriation 

Budget  remark 

ECU  350  000 

ECU  450  000 

This  appropriation  is  intended  to  enable  the Women's  Forum  to  operate. 

Like  the  Youth  Forum,  the  Women's  Forum  or  Women's  Lobby  Group  has  become  an 
essential  back-up  to  Community  projects  aimed  at  women. 

7. 

A-3093 
working  for the establishment  of  an international  criminal  jurisdiction 

Support  for  international  non-govemmental  organizations 

1995  appropriation 

ECU  300  000 

Budget  remark  (new  item) 

This  appropriation 
international 
non-governmental  organizations working for the establishment of an international criminal 
jurisdiction. 

is  intended  to  cover  a  financial  contribution  to 

52 

12  July  1996 

party 

ANNEX  2 

Group 14 

Standing  working 

STANDING  INTER-DEPARTMENTAL 
HUMAN  RIGHTS  COORDINATION  GROUP 

Role 

Improve  internal  coordination  to  ensure  consistency  in  Community  policies, 
including  the  use  of  budget  resources  (see  Note  No  114903  of  24  September 
1994  from  Mr  Williamson) 

Commission  decision: 

COM(84) PV  722 

Chairman: 
Secretary: 
Member DGs: 

Ms Napoli  (DG IA) 
Mr  Gavriliadis  (DG IA) 
Secretariat-General,  Forward  Studies  Unit,  Legal 
Service,  DGs,  I,  IA,  IB,  II,  V,  VIII,  X,  XI,  XII,  XIII, 
XV, XIX, XXII, XXIV,  XXIII  and  ECHO 

Number of  meetings: 

Seven  in  1995 

Remit: 

The  Group has been  set up in response to a an ever greater  need to coordinate  all the 
Commission's  initiatives  relating  to  human  rights  and  democracy,  including  aid  for 
elections.  This  role,  approved  by  the RELEX  Directors-General,  mainly  involves: 

implementation  of  the  communication  from  the  Commission  "The  European 
Union  and  the  external  dimension  of  human  rights  policy:  from  Rome  to 
Maastricht  and  beyond"; 

consistency  and  transparency  in  implementation  of  budget  headings  within 
Chapter  B7-52  "European  Initiative  for  Democracy  and Protection  of  Human 
Rights"; 

appraisal  of  projects  under  headings B7-5240:  "Subsidies  for  certain  activities 
of  organizations  pursuing  human  rights objectives"  and B7-5270  "Support  for 
rehabilitation  centres for torture victims and for organizations offering  concrete 
help  to  victims  of  human  rights  abuses. 

53 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 672 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

06  11 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-96-685-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-13540-2 

Office  for  Official  Publications  of the European  Communities 

L-2985  Luxembourg 

y