(2)It is crucial that those rights and values continue to be actively cultivated, protected, promoted, enforced and shared among the citizens and peoples and that they remain at the heart of the Union project, given that a deterioration in the protection of those rights and values in any Member State can have detrimental effects on the Union as a whole. Provision should therefore be made in the general budget of the Union for a new Justice, Rights and Values Fund, comprising the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme established by Regulation (EU) 2021/692 of the European Parliament and the Councilnote and the Justice Programme. At a time when European societies are confronted with extremism, radicalism and divisions, and space for independent civil society is shrinking, it is more important than ever to promote, strengthen and defend justice, rights and the Union values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. This will have profound and direct implications for political, social, cultural and economic life in the Union. As part of the new Justice, Rights and Values Fund, the Justice Programme (the ‘Programme’) in line with the 2014–2020 Justice Programme established by Regulation (EU) No 1382/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilnote will continue to support the further development of a Union area of justice based on the rule of law, the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, mutual recognition and mutual trust, access to justice and cross-border cooperation. The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme will bring together the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme for 2014–2020 established by Regulation (EU) No 1381/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilnote and the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme established by Council Regulation (EU) No 390/2014note.
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