 Hello. In this video, we talk about fundamental rights in the EU, but first, what do we mean by fundamental rights in the EU? Well, the EU is first and foremost a union of people and not just a union of states for the facilitation of economic exchanges. It's based on values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The main goal of the European Union is to defend these values in Europe and promote peace in the well-being of the citizens. All these fundamental values and the rights of EU citizens are enshrined in the EU treaties and the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights. Although this sounds great in theory, the EU still has a long way to go before fully defending the rule of law and the fundamental rights of us all. The free movement of goods, services and capital has made all of our lives easier and more affordable, but the freedom of movement of people is still being contested. Recently, several countries in the EU reintroduced border controls without sufficient justification, although this should only be considered as a last resort measure. And on top of that, the right of free movement is in practice only available to the most privileged among us. Those of us who can access programs like Erasmus or the European Voluntary Service or those of us who can provide for their own livelihoods in their new home country. Fundamental rights are not granted fully to each and every one, with many people still facing discrimination because of their gender, religion or belief, race or ethnicity, age, disability or sexual orientation. This also means that some people cannot effectively exercise their right to free movement if they have fear that their rights will not be fully guaranteed. Especially with the recent backlash against the rule of law and the development of authoritarian tendencies in the heart of Europe, such as in Hungary, Poland and Italy, the attacks on our fundamental rights are unfortunately increasing. Countries wishing to join the EU need to respect a whole set of rules on democracy, human rights and rule of law known as the Copenhagen criteria, but shouldn't our decision makers ensure that our rights are continuously respected once a country has become a member of the EU? So we should demand our policy makers to fully deliver the EU's promises. In order to empower more of us to really experience our EU citizenship through living the freedom of movement, European exchange and mobility programmes need to be expanded and properly funded. The EU should not be an exclusive club for the privileged. To make us feel closer to the EU and its institutions, it should be easier for us to access documents of the EU institutions and information on decision-making processes. On top of that, useful tools such as the European Citizens Initiative, where citizens can request legislative action from the Commission on a pressing matter, need to be taken more seriously. We need laws to prevent and eradicate all forms of discrimination on the EU and national level. We need powerful tools to hold those countries that are cutting back on our fundamental rights accountable. Current instruments at the disposal of the European Commission are proving inefficient. Shouldn't the EU establish a set of gradual measures to prevent violations of fundamental rights, which can be triggered at an early stage and do not require, for example, unanimity within the Council? Shouldn't a charter on fundamental rights be given more weight so we can defend our rights as individual citizens of the EU if they should be under attack on the national level? It's clear that we need our policy makers to step up, but it's also up to each of us to defend our rights and the rights of others and to be active citizens of the EU. This means that we also have to take up the responsibilities that come with our rights, such as voting in elections to the European Parliament and keeping track of the activities of our decision makers, to really make this a union of its people.