RELIGARE Evening Lecture. Welcome drink at 17.30.

The RELIGARE project researches how the principle of equality is challenged by the multiplication of religions and other convictions that are irreversibly transforming Europe into a new type of plural society. This seminar seeks to approach this delicate theme from the point of view of the judiciary, which is increasingly confronted with religious claims, especially in family matters.

Nicholas joined CEPS in November 2011 as a Research Assistant in the Justice and Home Affairs section. He previously worked as a trainee with the European Commission (DG Justice) and with a political group in the European Parliament. He was also involved in the work of several Brussels-based NGOs.

Framework contract with the Committee of the Regions for the provision of advice in the following areas:
• Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
• European citizenship
• Fundamental rights
• Fight against discrimination and exclusion
• Policies in the fields of migration, integration and asylum

This study addresses the new challenges stemming from data processing policies and systems falling under the scope of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU’s Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. It identifies a set of common basic principles and standards for the genuine assurance of data protection in all the phases of EU policy-making and for the effective implementation of this fundamental right of individuals.

In cooperation with the RELIGARE Project and the Council of Europe Liaison Office to the European Union.

The Policy Meeting will bring together EU and international policy-makers, academics, practitioners and civil society organisations to explore the central challenges to principles of privacy and data protection posed by the proliferation of surveillance practices in the EU.

This paper critically examines the policy implications of the ongoing Canada-Czech Republic visa dispute for the founding principles of the EU’s immigration and asylum policies, notably those of reciprocity and solidarity. It addresses the main challenges posed by the unilateral reintroduction of visa requirements for nationals of the Czech Republic for the EU’s common visa policy, and for the fundamental rights of European citizens who belong to vulnerable and excluded groups, i.e. Roma, in search of international protection.

Framework contract with the Committee of the Regions for the provision of advice in the following areas:

·         Area of Freedom, Security and Justice

·         European citizenship

·         Fundamental rights

·         Fight against discrimination and exclusion

The purpose of this project is to inform the public debate which is taking place in the UK and other Member States regarding EU border controls, immigration, asylum and data protection (both in the framework of border controls and criminal justice) in the context of the European Parliament election campaign. There are three key constituencies: (1) The political parties as they prepare their platforms for the European Parliament elections; (2) The candidates as they plan and carry out their campaigns; and (3) The voting public.

This project studies EU-Canada cooperation on migration and asylum policies. It aims at providing a better understanding of the conceptual, political, sociological and legal elements and dilemmas characterizing the development of common European public responses around these issues, and their implications for the relationship between liberty and security in EU-Canada relations.

The project is funded by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and coordinated by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). It addresses the social situation of irregular immigrants in the European Union, focusing, in particular, on those who for technical or humanitarian reasons cannot be removed from EU territory, in order to assess the extent to which their fundamental rights are respected and protected.

CEPS has established an interdisciplinary consortium of 9 well-known organizations and 25 leading experts, covering all the thematic areas identified in the Multi-annual Framework and the Annual Work Programme 2011 (AWP) of the FRA, to jointly provide the FRA and the EIGE with data collection and research services on fundamental rights issues at the EU and international level.

 The interdisciplinary project INEX is designed around two research axes: thematic and geopolitical.

SAPIENT is a 36-month Collaborative Project that aims to specify how and when smart surveillance should be used (or not) and its characteristics to be effective and scalable to rapidly adapt to changing situations. It will provide stakeholders with a set of criteria for data protection and integrity that can be used to verify that surveillance systems and the sharing of information respect the privacy of citizens.