Strengthening Roma participation under the 2020 EU Strategic Framework for Roma Equality, Inclusion and participation and NRIS
Article 11 of the Treaty of the European Union (TEU) specifies that EU institutions “shall, by appropriate means, give citizens and representative associations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views in all areas of Union action” and “shall maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society”.
The right to participation in public affairs is also recognised in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and was recently reaffirmed in the Council of Europe Guidelines for civil participation in political decision-making, as adopted in September 2017 by the Committee of Ministers. One of its components is civil participation, which the guidelines define as “the engagement of individuals, NGOs and civil society at large in decision-making processes by public authorities”.
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