Started the project Equal -Empowering communities for strategic litigation

In July 2025, the EQUAL – Empowering Communities for Strategic Litigation project began, co-funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.

EQUAL supports marginalized communities and lawyers in working together to use strategic litigation as a tool for change: defending fundamental rights and combating discrimination based on the experiences, priorities, and needs of the communities themselves.

The project, which will run until June 2027, takes place in the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, and Italy, where partner organizations work alongside Roma communities, people with a migrant background, and persons with disabilities who face systemic discrimination and barriers to accessing justice.

The objective of the EQUAL project is to strengthen the capacity of communities, human rights lawyers, and other stakeholders to advance intersectional, community-driven strategic litigation under EU law, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

What does EQUAL do in practice?

• Community Empowerment – Build knowledge and skills within marginalised communities by providing tools, information and training to understand and defend their rights and engage with legal professionals and fundamental rights bodies.
• Intersectional Capacity Building – Deliver training for legal professionals and fundamental rights bodies to strengthen intersectional approach.
• Focus Group Research – Conduct focus groups with marginalised communities, legal professionals and fundamental rights bodies to identify key barriers to accessing justice and inform project actions.
• Community Paralegal Teams and Legal Clinics – Create community-based paralegal teams and local legal clinics to bridge the gap between affected communities and legal experts, reduce barriers to justice and enable early legal support.
• Advocacy and Legal Actions – ​Use evidence from the project to inform advocacy efforts at national and EU level, promoting better understanding and uptake of intersectional and community-driven strategic litigation and policy-making.

For more information, visit the project’s website: https://www.bridge-eu.org/equal and follow us on LinkedIn!