1. NEXT FRA EVENTS AND MEETINGS |
Fundamental Rights Platform: the FRA's dialogue with civil society |
15th-16th April, Vienna: The Agency will welcome representatives from civil society organisations to the 3rd Fundamental Rights Platform Meeting. This key event is devoted to the dialogue and cooperation with civil society. The Meeting will focus on three key themes:
The participants will elect the Advisory Panel of the Fundamental Rights Platform. All FRP members can nominate their candidates to the Advisory Panel by the 15th March 2010. |
Symposium: Strengthening the fundamental rights architecture in the EU |
7th of May, Vienna: The fundamental rights architecture in the European Union has developed over time and continuous to evolve. Regular health checks on the situation are always needed, especially when great change is taking place. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will release three reports:
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Open doors at FRA: InfoPoint and celebration of the Europe Day, 9th May |
9th of May: the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will be celebrating Europe Day with the slogan: "We all have fundamental rights - Wir alle haben Grundrechte". On this occasion, FRA will promote its evidence based advise and reports, in the context of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the 10 years anniversary of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The FRA will celebrate Europe Day in a two fold manner: the FRA will open its doors and present its new Info Point to the general public, in the form of an Open Day event according to the principles of transparency and accessibility that will give the general public the opportunity to get direct information about the agency's work and its structure. The celebrations will include as well an artistic event dedicated to Europe Day. |
Other main FRA events |
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2. NEXT FRA PUBLICATIONS |
The following list is not exhaustive. Publication titles are provisional.
On the situation of irregular migrants:
On racism in sport:
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3. LATEST FRA ACTIVITIES AND PUBLICATIONS |
The FRA launched a video competition for the Europe Day events |
19th February: the Agency launched its first video competition on fundamental rights in the European Union. The video competition invites young people to share their views and understanding of fundamental rights in video clips of a maximum length of 2 minutes, to be submitted online. The videos will be published on the FRA's website and the winners will be awarded with a trip for two persons to Vienna to join the Agency's celebration of Europe Day on 9th May. |
The Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe visits the FRA |
11th February: the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe visited the Agency to explore ways of increasing cooperation between the two organisations. The Swedish delegation showed great interest in the Agency's role in examining EU legislation for human rights compatibility and in other ongoing research in the fields of joined-up governance, homophobia and rights of the child. |
Seminar on "Fundamental Rights in the EU in view of the accession of the Union to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms" |
2nd and 3rd February: the Agency co-organised, with the Spanish Presidency of the EU and the Spanish Ministry of Justice, the seminar "Fundamental Rights in the EU in view of the accession of the Union to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms", in Madrid. The seminar examined new challenges and opportunities in the area of protecting fundamental rights presented by the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon. Attention was drawn to the European Union's accession to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the possibility of incorporating the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights into primary law was explored. Agency experts looked at coordination mechanisms and the need to ensure consistency in human rights, for example with mechanisms for cooperation between the Court of Justice and the Human Rights Court, the consistency in case law, the role of national courts, the need to avoid a two track human rights protection system in Europe and the ways in which the new Treaty of Lisbon and Charter of Fundamental Rights could enhance protection and place human rights nearer the centre of EU decision-making. The Spanish Secretary of Justice appealed to the EU's "common sense" to ratify the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, a priority of the Spanish chairpersonship of the European Union. |
The FRA launched a new study on Holocaust and Human Rights education in Ausschwitz |
26th-28th January: the Agency presented its latest study on the role of historical sites and museums in teaching about the Holocaust and human rights during an EU Ministerial Conference in Auschwitz, Poland
The Ministerial Conference gathered education ministers, senior government representatives and ambassadors from over 30 countries at the site of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland. International Holocaust Remembrance Day offered an opportunity to reflect on the 65 years since the camp's liberation and to discuss how best to continue to include Holocaust education in national curricula. High-profile figures such as the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, as well as a video message from US President Barack Obama demonstrated the enduring value of such occasions. The Agency was represented by Ilze Brands Kehris, Chairperson of the Management Board, who presented the main findings of the FRA study: in the 21st Century, memorial sites and historical museums offer a unique learning experience and therefore continue to be relevant. This year, the Agency will publish two practical handbooks on this theme: a guide for teachers on how to make best use of visits to Holocaust related sites, and a discussion book addressing issues relevant for the sites themselves. Both handbooks include case studies of educational approaches that seek to link the Holocaust and human rights' education. Visit our website for summaries and quotes from Iain Wright, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (UK) and Anna-Karin Johansson from Living History Forum (Sweden), and Ilze Brands Kehris, Chairperson of the FRA Management Board Download the report at: http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/Main-Results-Discover-the-Past-for-the-Future.pdf |
4. FRA RECRUITMENT AND CALLS FOR TENDER |
The following vacancies and calls for tender were published on the FRA website: |