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Human rights

Human rights are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. These include freedom from discrimination, protection of personal data, and access to justice. Every citizen is entitled to these rights equally.

Rule of law

The EU is based on the rule of law. Everything it does is founded on treaties voluntarily and democratically agreed by its member states. Law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary, with the European Court of Justice as the final authority — its judgments are binding on all member states.

Equality

Equality ensures that all citizens are treated the same before the law. It includes gender equality and equal opportunities in every area of life. This principle has guided European integration since the Treaty of Rome.

Democracy

The EU is built on representative democracy. Citizens have the right to vote and stand in elections for the European Parliament, whether in their country of origin or residence. Political participation is a cornerstone of European citizenship.

Freedom

Freedom means the right to move, live, and work across the Union. It also safeguards personal liberties such as privacy, belief, assembly, and expression. These freedoms are guaranteed by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Human dignity

Human dignity is the foundation of European society. It is inviolable and must always be respected and protected. All fundamental rights stem from this principle.

Marija Armenski

Marija Armenski is a senior civil society development, organisational capacity-building and project management expert with more than 18 years of professional experience supporting civil society organisations, public institutions and international development programmes across the Western Balkans and Türkiye. As TACSO 3 Country Coordinator for North Macedonia (2022–2025), she authored the DG NEAR baseline and annual assessments on the enabling environment for civil society (2021–2024), aligned with the EU Guidelines for Support to Civil Society 2021–2027, and facilitated structured dialogue between CSOs, EU Delegations and national institutions. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with deep working knowledge of PRAG procedures, she has designed, managed and evaluated complex programmes funded by the European Union, USAID, UNDP, the Council of Europe and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and serves as evaluator and assessor for instruments including IPA III CBC, Interreg NEXT MED, EIT Urban Mobility, Erasmus+, RYCO and Smart Balkans. Her experience spans tailored capacity-building programmes, mentoring of over 500 CSOs, start-ups and grassroots organisations, organisational assessments, policy dialogue and legislative reform contributions, and support to fundraising, advocacy and strategic planning. Recognised for her participatory and results-oriented approach, she supports civil society organisations, public institutions and local stakeholders in strengthening capacities, fostering meaningful partnerships and achieving sustainable development outcomes.