At the General Affairs meeting held on the 23 of May, the Council stated among other conclusions that it is its responsibility the application of the Charter of Fundamental rights of the European Union as well as informing citizens about the scope of application of the Charter without prejudice to the competences of the Member States. In addition, the Council adopted a Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate the accession agreement of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights and laying down the negotiation directives.

Based on the first Annual Report from the Commission on the Application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which provides information illustrating the application of the Charter, the Council welcomed the opportunity that this report presents for an annual inter-institutional exchange of views with the Council and the European Parliament. Responding to the 2010 Report which focuses on the legislative acts adopted by the relevant institutions as well as the initiatives taken by the Commission, it finds it essential to highlight actions taken by the Council in 2010 regarding all provisions in the Charter and to point out some areas for future initiatives.

The Council highlighted that it will continue to respect, promote and protect fundamental rights and meet the values, objectives, and principles of the EU requires a combination of all relevant efforts and instruments at EU and national levels including also maintaining an intense dialogue with the citizens. Therefore, the effective application of the Charter should be underpinned by actions of all EU institutions and bodies, offices and agencies, such as the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, as well as the actions of competent national institutions when implementing EU law.

In order to achieve this goal, it is essential to the Council to better inform citizens about the scope of the Charter and that the Charter and its explanations should be easily accessible also on the home pages of the Council and its Presidency in order to raise awareness of the general public. Thus, it invites the Commission to pursue its activity with emphasis on areas which are likely to have the most significant impact on the implementation of fundamental rights reaffirmed in the Charter, such as enhancing the European e-Justice Portal by providing the citizens with information about where to turn to when their fundamental rights have been violated.