29
May
2017

Between promise and delivery: 10 years of fundamental rights in the EU

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. Such a milestone offers an opportunity for reflection – both on the progress that provides cause for celebration and on the lingering shortcomings that must be addressed.

The EU’s commitment to fundamental rights has grown tremendously during the past decade, but daunting challenges remain. Moreover, recent developments underscore how quickly laboriously accomplished progress can be undone. Across the EU, the fundamental rights system is increasingly under attack – dismissed as political correctness gone awry, as benefitting only select individuals, or as hampering swift responses to urgent challenges.

This year’s focus section, ‘Between promise and delivery: 10 years of fundamental rights in the EU’, further explores these challenges, providing a thorough review of the past decade’s highlights and persisting shortfalls. 

The focus section can also be found in the main Fundamental Rights Report 2017