Areas of work

The objective, the scope and the tasks of the Fundamental Rights Agency are set out in Council Regulation (EC) No. 168/2007, establishing the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

The objective of the Agency shall be to provide the relevant institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Community and its Member States when implementing Community law with assistance and expertise relating to fundamental rights in order to support them when they take measures or formulate.

Council Regulation (EC) N° 168/2007 Art.2 

The agency situates its work in the wider context of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The purpose of the Charter is to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights in the European Union in the light of changes in society, social progress and scientific and technological developments. The agency fulfils its tasks, as defined by its Regulation, by implementing specific projects and activities within the thematic areas of a five-year Multi-annual Framework, which fall broadly under different chapters of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. 

Multi-annual Framework

The thematic areas of the agency's work are determined through a five-year Multi-annual Framework. On 11 March 2013, the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, on proposal of the European Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, adopted the agency’s current Multi-annual Framework.

The Council's Decision states that the Agency will work in the following nine areas:

a) access to justice;

b) victims of crime, including compensation to victims;

c) information society and, in particular, respect for private life and protection of personal data;

d) Roma integration;

e) judicial cooperation, except in criminal matters;

f) rights of the child;

g) discrimination based on sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation;

h) immigration and integration of migrants, visa and border control and asylum;

i) racism, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The Framework is implemented in complementarity to the work of other EU bodies, the Council of Europe and other international organisations involved in the field of human rights.

The current Multi-annual Framework will expire on 31st December 2017 and will be replaced by a new Council Decision.

The previous Multi-annual Framework spanned the years 2008-2012.

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