Concluding remarks

• Author: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 58-58

58

At the time of drafting this report (April 2020), the Covid-19 pandemic has

shown all too clearly that the functioning of societies– grounded in respect

for fundamental rights– depends on public administrations that are able to

provide everyday services for all members of society, and in particular those

who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Guidance and measures

by public authorities are likely to be more effective when people have trust

in authorities to provide certain services. One way to ensure ahigh level of

trust is by taking steps to guarantee that public services ‘work’ for people–

that they provide people with the necessary information concerning rights,

offer effective complaint mechanisms to make sure that decisions are made

in compliance with laws, and that public authorities function eff‌iciently,

transparently and free from corruption. The standards set in international

human rights commitments, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights,

form the backbone of standards which are ref‌lected at the national and local

level. However, the risk remains that if human rights don’t enjoy the necessary

awareness, popular support and recognition among the population, countries

may end up backing away from their commitments.

On the one hand, the survey results provide evidence of strong support for

human rights among people in the EU. This support is not equally shared by

all in society, however, which can ref‌lect the feeling of being left behind.

Those who have diff‌iculties in making ends meet, the unemployed, as well

as those with lower education– are some of the people who, according to the

survey, sometimes doubt whether everyone enjoys the same human rights,

and perceive that there are people who take unfair advantage of human

rights. To ensure continued support for human rights, it is necessary to inform

people in all segments of society about how human rights are important for

them– not as abstract concepts, but in relation to their daily lived realities.

At the same time, the results stress the need to ensure transparency and

reliability of public services, so that people can see that services are provided

in an equitable and non-discriminatory way– that is, without some people

receiving preferential treatment due to their wealth or political connections.

In terms of participation in democratic processes, the survey also shows

that there is aneed to further encourage the participation of young people,

while also informing them why it is important for everybody to contribute

to ‘traditional’ democratic processes such as elections, in parallel with other

ways of participation, such as through the work of civil society organisations.

Concluding remarks