The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU is an important legal instrument in the EU legal order that has received increased attention in the context of asylum litigation. Lying between state interests and individual rights, asylum litigation offers numerous opportunities to increase the understanding of the Charter’s scope of protection. Similarly, the mixed nature of the legal regime that underpins asylum systems in the Member States, namely a combination of domestic administrative law and EU asylum law, can reveal potential conflicts between national practices and Charter rights. The opportunity to litigate such conflicts before national courts and, where the circumstances require and/or allow before the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) can ultimately contribute to a more harmonised application of EU law.

Recognising the vital role that lawyers play in this respect, ECRE is currently implementing the WILL project (With Lawyers for Lawyers), which aims to increase awareness of the Charter’s potential and increase the capacity of lawyers to include the Charter in strategic litigation at the national and European levels. In this context, ECRE is organising a Legal Workshop on “Using the full potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU” that will focus on underused Charter rights and will seek to understand limitations in the application of the Charter in the domestic administrative and legal context. The workshop will take place in person in Warsaw, Poland, on 25 May 2023. You can find the draft agenda here.

We invite lawyers with practical experience in asylum litigation to register here by 30 April 2023. As the maximum capacity for this event is 35 participants, registrations will be confirmed as they arrive. However, ECRE will ensure that participation reflects diversity in experience, country representation, as well as gender equality. ECRE will contact participants to confirm registrations. Travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses will be co-financed for all participants by applying an all-inclusive flat rate; for more information, please consult the registration form.

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