Newsroom

Speech
Michael O'Flaherty
We shouldn’t be here this morning. It shouldn’t be that 100 years after the Philadelphia Declaration and the founding of the ILO that we should talk about systemic, criminal exploitation of labour. It shouldn’t be that we should talk about it in, of all places, Europe.
As workers in the EU are still severely exploited, FRA is jointly organising a high-level conference 'From wrongs to rights - Ending severe labour exploitation' in Brussels on 25 June.
Opening Video for FRA event - From wrongs to rights: ending severe labour exploitation.
Die europäischen Regierungen müssen dringend mehr tun, um die Ausbeutung der Arbeitskraft in Unternehmen, Fabriken und landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben zu bekämpfen. Dies betont der heute veröffentlichte Forschungsbericht der FRA. Hunderte befragte ausgebeutete Arbeitnehmerinnen und -nehmer geben aus erster Hand Aufschluss über die illegalen Praktiken in Landwirtschaft, Baugewerbe, Hausarbeit, Hotel- und Gaststättengewerbe, Fertigung und Verkehr.
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From 25 to 27 June, representatives of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from across the EU, Serbia and North Macedonia will gather at FRA.
FRA’s Director was invited by the Romanian Presidency of the European Council to present the key findings of the Fundamental Rights Report 2019 at the Council of the EU’s Working Party on Fundamental Rigths, Citizens’ Rights and Free Movement of Persons (FREMP).
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Ten years after the UN’s Disability Convention entered into force, 2018 saw it continue
to drive advances in disability rights across the EU.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: In some Member States access to justice faces challenges. Judicial independence continues to cause
concerns. Victims’ procedural rights need more effective implementation. Gaps in preventing
violence against women and domestic violence remain.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Not all children benefit equally from efforts to guarantee child rights.
Some groups face particular difficulties.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: 2018 was a landmark year for data protection. New EU rules took effect and complaints of breaches increased significantly.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Although migrant arrivals to the EU continue to drop, it remains a divisive issue politically and
across society. Nearly 4 in 10 Europeans think immigration is more of a problem than a solution.
And nearly a half overestimate the number of irregular migrants in their country.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Anti-Gypsyism across the EU remains a persistent barrier to improving the social and
economic situation of Roma today.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Ethnic minorities and migrants continue to face harassment and discrimination across the EU,
despite longstanding EU laws against racism.
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: Efforts to advance equality moved ahead in some areas but remain stalled in others.
FRA took part in the UN OHCHR meeting on local governments and human rights on 17 June in Geneva.
On 20 June in Geneva, FRA presented its European Union Fundamental Rights Information Tool (EFRIS) to the annual meeting of United Nations Special Procedures and Mandate Holders.
FRA co-hosted a session on cybercrime and fundamental rights with the EU’s drugs agency (EMCDDA).
Fundamental Rights Report 2019: The Charter of Fundamental Rights is the EU’s bill of human rights. These rights and principles have to be respected and promoted by EU institutions and Member States whenever they act within EU law. Approaching the Charter’s 10th anniversary, Member States do not yet make full use of the potential it offers.