Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected, protected and constitutes the real basis of fundamental rights.

The functioning of the EU is founded on representative democracy. Being a European citizen also means enjoying political rights. Every adult EU citizen has the right to stand as a candidate and to vote in elections to the European Parliament. EU citizens have the right to stand as candidate and to vote in their country of residence, or in their country of origin.

Equality is about equal rights for all citizens before the law. The principle of equality between women and men underpins all European policies and is the basis for European integration. It applies in all areas. The principle of equal pay for equal work became part of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Although inequalities still exist, the EU has made significant progress.

The EU is based on the rule of law. Everything the EU does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by its EU countries. Law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The EU countries gave final jurisdiction to the European Court of Justice which judgements have to be respected by all.

Human rights are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. These cover the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, the right to the protection of your personal data, and or the right to get access to justice.

eTwinning, as an initiative that functions under the European programme Erasmus+, follows GDPR. By reading the eTwinning privacy policy, you can find out many important facts regarding your rights but also your obligations.

Participants of eTwinning should always be aware of the following:

All this information is important, as it helps teachers understand their obligations when it comes to protecting the data of their students during their projects. Teachers need to understand that they are responsible for:

In the next chapters, you will find useful presentations regarding copyright, eTwinning Code of Conduct and Netiquette.

School-based study groups are best used for international professional development activities which require teachers to work in a foreign language and to interact with an international community of peers in an online environment, both which can be particularly challenging to less experienced teachers.