Independence of the judiciary as an aspect of rule of law compliance

This EU funding opportunity focuses on promoting judicial independence as a key element of the rule of law within the European Union and neighboring countries. The call is designated as HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-11 and falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically within the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society pillar. It aims to fund research and innovation actions (RIA) that provide comparative data and insights into the independence, impartiality, and integrity of judicial institutions, with the goal of enhancing the EU’s capacity to uphold the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and democracy.

Projects funded under this initiative are expected to deliver several significant outcomes. They should improve access to comparative research on judicial institutions across the EU, contributing to the safeguarding of rights related to effective remedy and fair trial and enhancing accountability within judicial systems. Additionally, projects will aid policymakers and judicial authorities in understanding the safeguards for judicial independence in various justice systems, facilitating judicial cooperation among Member States. Importantly, the projects will provide research on the implementation of international and EU rules concerning judicial independence, allowing for a more informed assessment of their impact.

The call emphasizes the importance of judicial independence as inherently linked to the rule of law and the right to fair trial. It seeks to build upon existing EU tools aimed at promoting and safeguarding the rule of law, such as the EU Justice Scoreboard and the European Rule of Law Mechanism. The aim is to deepen understanding of how international and EU standards impact judicial independence and to suggest policy recommendations that strengthen cooperation between Member States.

Proposals are expected to utilize a multidisciplinary research approach, engaging with social sciences and humanities to assess national frameworks for judicial independence. A comparative analysis of these frameworks is encouraged, focusing on aspects such as appointment, promotion, disciplinary proceedings, and overall legal practices within Member States and enlargement countries. Applicants are invited to highlight best practices and develop recommendations to improve judicial cooperation at the national and EU levels.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, small and medium enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting relevant research and innovation activities. The submissions will follow a single-stage process, with a deadline of September 16, 2025, for applications opening on May 15, 2025. The total budget for the call is set at 10,500,000 EUR, with individual grants ranging between 3,000,000 and 3,500,000 EUR, approximately three grants are expected to be awarded.

The call adheres to the general conditions set out for Horizon Europe participation, covering aspects such as eligibility, financial capacity, and evaluation processes. Funding will be provided in the form of a lump sum grant. Applicants are required to submit a detailed budget and a proposal that adheres to an established page limit, ensuring comprehensive and co-ordinated research efforts aimed at reinforcing judicial independence and advancing democratic processes within the EU framework. The overarching goal is to enhance accountability and promote effective judicial systems across Europe.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on promoting judicial independence as a cornerstone of the rule of law within the European Union and its neighboring countries. The call, HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-11, falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society pillar. It seeks to fund research and innovation actions (RIA) that will provide EU and Member State authorities with comparative data and insights into the independence, impartiality, and integrity of judicial institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the EU's capacity to uphold the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and democracy.

The projects funded under this opportunity are expected to achieve several key outcomes. First, they should ensure that EU and Member State authorities have access to comparative research information on the independence, impartiality, and integrity of judicial institutions across the EU. This information should be used to safeguard the rights to an effective remedy and fair trial, and to strengthen accountability within the judicial system. Second, the projects should enable policymakers and judicial authorities to better understand the safeguards for judicial independence in different justice systems, thereby fostering judicial cooperation among Member States. Third, the projects should provide policymakers and public administrations with research on the national-level implementation of international and EU rules and standards, allowing them to better assess the impact of these rules on judicial independence. Finally, the projects should strengthen the EU's overall capacity to proactively promote the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and democracy by providing up-to-date, reliable, and comparable information on the functioning of judicial independence safeguards in Member States and their broader context.

The scope of this funding opportunity is defined by the principle of judicial independence as a fundamental aspect of EU law, closely linked to the rule of law, the right to a fair trial, and effective judicial protection. The EU has already established several tools to promote and safeguard the rule of law, including the annual EU Justice Scoreboard and the European Rule of Law Mechanism with its annual Rule of Law Report. This funding opportunity aims to build upon these existing tools by fostering a deeper understanding of the implementation of international and EU standards and their impact on judicial independence.

To achieve these goals, proposals should adopt a multidisciplinary research approach, incorporating insights from social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines. They should compare and critically assess national frameworks for judicial independence, focusing on how national rules related to the appointment, promotion, dismissal, workload assessment, case allocation, disciplinary proceedings, and transfers of judges function in practice. Projects should also contribute to building concrete knowledge on current legal practice, the statutory framework, leading court cases, and major relevant developments at the national level, providing up-to-date, reliable, and comparable information across Member States and enlargement countries. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the independence, impartiality, and integrity of judicial institutions across the EU is encouraged to illustrate the rights to an effective remedy and fair trial, and to strengthen accountability.

Proposals should outline a comparative analysis of the safeguards for judicial independence in Member States and, where appropriate, enlargement countries. They should also highlight good practices in the implementation of international and EU rules and standards at the national level. Based on this research, policy recommendations should be developed to strengthen judicial cooperation between Member States.

Applicants are encouraged to network with and build upon previously funded projects under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, and other EU programs such as the Citizen, Equality, Rights and Values program and the Internal Security Fund (ISF). Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this topic and other relevant projects are strongly encouraged.

The call is a single-stage submission process with a deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The opening date for submissions is May 15, 2025. The total budget allocated to this topic is 10,500,000 EUR, with an indicative contribution ranging from 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 EUR per grant. It is expected that approximately 3 grants will be awarded under this topic.

The general conditions for participation in Horizon Europe apply to this call. These conditions cover admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, evaluation and award processes, and the legal and financial setup of the grants. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the relevant EU decision.

The application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Applicants should use the standard application form for HE RIA and IA actions and the standard evaluation form for HE RIA and IA actions, with necessary adaptations. Guidance documents such as the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, and call-specific instructions are also available to assist applicants in preparing their proposals.

The proposal page limit for Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application using lump sum is 50 pages. A detailed budget table, using the template available in the Submission System, is mandatory.

This funding opportunity aims to bolster judicial independence and the rule of law within the EU by supporting research that enhances understanding of national justice systems, promotes best practices, and strengthens judicial cooperation. It is a call for research and innovation actions that will ultimately contribute to a more robust and accountable European democracy.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that this is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) and Coordination and Support Action (CSA), eligible applicants are likely to include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The mention of Legal Entity Validation and LEAR Appointment suggests that a wide range of organizations, including public and private entities, can apply, provided they meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and related annexes.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) being HORIZON-AG-LS. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the encouragement of networking, clustering, and cooperation with other projects suggests that consortia are preferred, although single applicants might be eligible depending on the specific topic requirements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The text also mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: democracy, culture, creativity, inclusive society, justice, rule of law, fundamental human rights, and research and innovation. Specifically, the call focuses on judicial independence as an aspect of rule of law compliance.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity details explicitly mention EU Member States and enlargement countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity is research and innovation actions, as indicated by the HORIZON-RIA designation. Projects should aim to contribute to a better understanding of judicial independence, assess national frameworks, and develop policy recommendations, suggesting a focus on research, development, and policy-oriented outcomes.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action (RIA or CSA). The contributions range from around €2,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to between €3,000,000 and €5,000,000 for Research and Innovation Actions, with some Innovation Actions having larger budgets.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, as indicated by the "single-stage" designation for all topics.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, as this is a Horizon Europe grant, it is possible that some level of co-funding may be expected, depending on the specific rules of the call and the type of organization applying.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, focuses on promoting judicial independence as a key aspect of rule of law compliance. It seeks to fund research and innovation actions (RIA) and coordination and support actions (CSA) that contribute to a better understanding of judicial safeguards, comparative analysis of national frameworks, and the development of policy recommendations to strengthen judicial cooperation within the EU and enlargement countries. The call encourages multidisciplinary approaches, networking with existing projects, and clustering activities. Eligible applicants include a range of organizations capable of conducting research and innovation, with funding provided as lump sum grants. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of September 16, 2025. The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and action type, ranging from around €2,000,000 for CSAs to between €3,000,000 and €5,000,000 for RIAs. The call aims to enhance the EU's capacity to proactively promote rule of law, fundamental human rights, and democracy by improving the understanding and implementation of international and EU standards related to judicial independence.