Why we monitor the EU
We believe that everyone in the European Union should be able to enjoy and use their basic rights and freedoms. The EU has a lot of power and influence over what happens in our lives. That’s because European governments prefer to make many of their laws and policies together in Brussels. So they’ve given the EU jurisdiction over a range of issues. This includes the power to make laws and policies, bring governments to court and give out EU funding. All of these powers can be used in ways that can be helpful or harmful for our rights.
What we mean by watching the EU
We press the EU to do all it can to protect our liberties. There are three scenarios where we influence how the EU uses its powers.
First, when it looks like the EU could do something that threatens our rights, we step in to keep those liberties safe. When the EU makes new laws and policies there’s often a risk that it will interfere with our rights in some way. For example, when the EU was writing new rules to protect copyright on the internet, we campaigned to make sure those rules didn’t end up strangling legitimate free speech.Second, when we see governments and corporations taking away our freedoms, we press the EU to use its powers to protect us. That includes using EU law to take court cases. For example, we’re persuading the EU to make new laws that stop corrupt politicians and dodgy companies muzzling journalists and activists.
Finally, when it looks like there’s something the EU could do to improve our human rights, we influence the EU to take action. For example, the EU recently created a fund to support rights and democracy groups campaigning for our liberties, and set up an annual report to monitor governments’ rights records. These were both our ideas.
