JUST EU: equality and justice for LGBTI citizens though strategic litigation

ended

JUST EU aims to enforce the equality principle (Art. 21 of the Charter) regarding SOGI, with a focus on discrimination in employment, access to goods and services, the recognition and protection of the family life of LGBTI EU citizens enjoying their freedom of movement, combating hate speech and crime and ensuring rights for LGBTI victims of violence. JUST EU strengthens substantive legal knowledge on LGBTI fundamental rights, as well as legal and non-legal skills needed by legal professionals and NGOs to successfully engage in strategic litigation and communication at national and EU level, aiming to improve enforcement of LGBTI rights under EU law & EU Charter, through training, sharing best practices, and coordinating as an expert network identifying and combating systemic human rights breaches. A joint needs assessment of gaps and key priorities for strategic litigation in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Lithuania will substantiate the development of a ToT. The ToT will bring together 3 trainers per partner org. to share best practices on LGBTI rights jurisprudence, legal and non-legal skills needed in strategic litigation. Subsequently national partners will develop cascade trainings fine-tuned to respond to national context. Partners will hold a strategic litigation summit to consolidate national and joint litigation plans. The consortium will develop a JUST EU practical knowledge hub bringing together selected and explained case studies of successful strategic litigation at national, CJUE and ECHR level. The hub will also provide a secure online environment where activists and participating lawyers can discuss legal challenges they are confronted with and receive support. EU JUST will develop a joint monitoring and media campaign for the implementation of the CJEU decision in C-673/16, in relation to residency rights for same sex spouses or partners, but also in relation to other derived rights from EU law jurisprudence and provisions.