HOME AFFAIRS : EU RIGHTS CLINIC LAUNCHED.

Helping European citizens and their families assert their rights is the aim of the EU Rights Clinic, launched on 10 January by European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) and Kent University in Brussels. "Twenty years after European citizenship was created with the Maastricht Treaty, awareness of rights is increasing in Europe while respect for them is deteriorating," said Tony Venables, the director of ECAS.

The initiative comes in the context of the European Year of Citizens and aims to collect evidence about problematic cases, particularly in the areas of barriers to free movement of young job seekers and students, entry and residence in the European Union (obtaining visas and right to family reunification) and social security across borders. It will work on grouping similar complaints and requests in order to boost their impact and promote respect for European rights.

Individuals who fail to find a solution to their problems through Solvit or Europe Direct can either call the clinic's hotline (+322 548 04 94), send an e-mail (rightsclinic@ecas.org), complete an online form or call via Skype (rights.clinic01 rights.clinic02; rights.clinic03). They will receive free assistance from students enrolled in the EU migration law course at Kent University, overseen by the ECAS team, lawyers and citizens'...