Highlights

  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    8
    Oktober
    2025
    The Entry/Exit System (EES), launching in 2025, will register non-EU nationals crossing the EU’s external borders. This FRA guidance helps border guards apply the new rules in line with EU fundamental rights. It offers practical tips on informing people, collecting biometric data and supporting people with specific needs. Based on fieldwork at 10 border crossing points in 6 Member States, the guidance will ensure rights are respected under the new system. A separate guidance publication for managers accompanies this publication.
  • Opinion / Position Paper
    23
    Juli
    2025
    This position paper examines how the EU can counter the instrumentalisation of migrants while also upholding fundamental rights. Instrumentalisation refers to countries outside the EU using migration to exert political pressure. This position paper defines the phenomenon, provides examples, and outlines legal obligations under EU law. It provides legal analysis and warns that some responses risk undermining fundamental rights at the EU’s external borders, including the right to asylum. To counter instrumentalisation and uphold fundamental rights, the position paper proposes practical measures for Member States to take, such as sanctions, border controls, and cooperation with private operators.
  • Periodic updates / Series
    20
    Juni
    2025
    The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights regularly collects data on the operations of NGO vessels involved in search and rescue in the Mediterranean. This includes any legal proceedings against them, as well as any difficulties in disembarking migrants in safe ports. This paper provides an overview of criminal investigations and other legal proceedings initiated by European Union (EU) Member States against civil society organisations deploying search and rescue vessels and aircraft in the Mediterranean and/or against individual crew members. The latest update covers the period from 2018 up until 1 June 2025.
  • Seite
    This page describes the activities of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on migration and asylum. It also explains how these activities can help the European Union (EU) and its Member States to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum in a fundamental rights-compliant manner.
    Produkte
    25
    Januar
    2017
    The European Parliament asked the Agency to provide its Opinion on the fundamental rights impact of the proposed revision of the Eurodac Regulation on children.
    Periodic updates / Series
    19
    Januar
    2017
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the European Commission asked FRA to collect data about the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in those Member States that have been particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered are Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
    20
    Dezember
    2016
    This focus section outlines the specific protection needs of separated children, and highlights current responses and promising practices among EU Member States.
    8
    Dezember
    2016
    This opinion analyses the effects on children of the proposed recast Dublin Regulation. It covers child-specific rules as well as provisions relating to all asylum applicants that significantly affect children.
    ‘Hotspots’ are facilities set up at the EU’s external border in Greece and Italy for the initial reception, identification and registration of asylum seekers and other migrants coming to the EU by sea. They also serve to channel newly-arrived people into international protection, return or other procedures.
    5
    Dezember
    2016
    EU Member States are increasingly involved in border management activities on the high seas, within – or i cooperation with – third countries, and at the EU’s borders. Such activities entail risks of violating the principle of non-refoulement, the cornerstone of the international legal regime for the protection of refugees, which prohibits returning individuals to a risk of persecution. This report aims to encourage fundamental-rights compliant approaches to border management, including by highlighting potential grey areas.
    5
    Dezember
    2016
    Die EU-Mitgliedstaaten beteiligen sich immer häufiger an Maßnahmen des Grenzmanagements auf hoher See, die in oder in Zusammenarbeit mit Drittländern und an den EU Grenzen stattfinden. Derartige Maßnahmen bergen die Gefahr, gegen den Grundsatz der Nichtzurückweisung zu verstoßen. Dieser Eckpfeiler des internationalen Rechtsrahmens für den Schutz von Flüchtlingen verbietet die Rückführung von Personen in ein Land, in dem ihnen Verfolgung droht. Die vorliegenden Leitlinien enthalten konkrete Vorschläge, wie das Risiko der Zurückweisung in solchen Situationen verringert werden kann – ein praktisches Instrument, das unter Mitwirkung von ExpertInnen anlässlich eines Treffens in Wien im März 2016 entwickelt wurde.
    29
    November
    2016
    Without being exhaustive, this opinion discusses selected topics which touch certain Charter rights, identifying the challenges and describing measures that could be taken to mitigate the risk of actions, which are not compliant with the Charter. It does not focus exclusively on risks arising in direct relation to the involvement of EU actors on the ground, but also takes into account that the hotspot approach entails a certain share of responsibility of the EU for the situation in the hotspots overall.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    22
    November
    2016
    Asylum seekers and migrants face various forms of violence and harassment across the European Union (EU). As this month’s report on the migration situation underscores, such acts are both perpetrated and condoned by state authorities, private individuals, as well as vigilante groups. They increasingly also target activists and politicians perceived as ‘pro-refugee’.
    The Agency’s Director, Michael O’Flaherty, took part in a meeting of the European Parliament Employment Committee on 8 November.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    25
    Oktober
    2016
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the European Commission asked FRA to collect data about the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in those Member States that have been particularly affected by large migration movements. This month's focus section reviews persistent key issues since initial reporting began one year ago.
    The Agency shared its view on protecting child rights in the Dublin Procedure, particularly for unaccompanied children at a hearing organised by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee in Brussels on 10 October.
    30
    Mai
    2016
    The European Union (EU) and its Member States introduced and pursued numerous initiatives to safeguard and strengthen
    fundamental rights in 2015. Some of these efforts produced important progress; others fell short of their aims. Meanwhile,
    various global developments brought new – and exacerbated existing – challenges.
    30
    Mai
    2016
    Im Jahr 2015 haben die Europäische Union (EU) und ihre Mitgliedstaaten
    zahlreiche Maßnahmen für die Wahrung und Stärkung der Grundrechte
    ergriffen und durchgeführt. Der von der FRA vorgelegte Grundrechte-
    Bericht 2016 bietet eine Zusammenfassung und Analyse der wichtigsten
    einschlägigen Entwicklungen, wobei sowohl die erzielten Fortschritte als
    auch die nach wie vor bestehenden Hindernisse beleuchtet werden. Darüber
    hinaus äußert sich die FRA in dieser Veröffentlichung zu den wichtigsten
    Entwicklungen in den genannten Themenbereichen und gibt einen
    Überblick über die ihren Stellungnahmen zugrunde liegenden Evidenzdaten.
    Insgesamt bietet diese Veröffentlichung einen knappen, aber informativen
    Überblick über die größten Herausforderungen, mit denen die EU und ihre
    Mitgliedstaaten im Bereich der Grundrechte konfrontiert sind.
    29
    Mai
    2016
    This Focus takes a closer look at asylum and migration issues in the European Union (EU) in 2015. It looks at the effectiveness of measures taken or proposed by the EU and its Member States to manage this situation, with particular reference to their fundamental rights compliance.
    The Fundamental Rights Forum (FRF) is organised by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in cooperation with various partners. Refugee Protection is one of the three themes for the FRF which will take place in Vienna from 20-23 June 2016.
    6
    April
    2016
    FRA’s opinions highlight general fundamental rights implications to be considered when applying the safe countries of origin concept. They should be read together with the relevant safeguards the Asylum Procedures Directive establishes. These safeguards provide for minimum guarantees that must also fully apply to applicants originating from countries on the proposed EU common list of safe countries of origin.
    17
    März
    2016
    Die Ausbeutung von Arbeitskräften ist kein vereinzelt auftretendes oder nebensächliches
    Phänomen. Aber ungeachtet ihrer weiten Verbreitung und Alltäglichkeit haben schwere Arbeitsausbeutung
    und ihre negativen Auswirkungen auf Drittstaatsangehörige und EU-BürgerInnen –
    als Arbeitskräfte, aber auch als VerbraucherInnen – bislang bei WissenschaftlerInnen kaum
    Beachtung gefunden. Im Rahmen der umfangreichen Feld- und Sekundärforschung der FRA
    wurden die unterschiedlichen strafrechtlich relevanten Formen der schweren Ausbeutung von
    Arbeitskräften aus anderen EU-Mitgliedstaaten oder Drittstaaten erstmals umfassend untersucht. Ziel war es, die diesbezüglichen Wissenslücken zu schließen und das derzeit herrschende
    Klima der stillschweigenden Akzeptanz schwerer Arbeitsausbeutung in Frage zu stellen.
    Periodic updates / Series
    27
    Januar
    2016
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the European Commission asked FRA to collect data about the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in those Member States that have been particularly affected by large migration movements.
    21
    Dezember
    2015
    The proposal to establish a possible legislative instrument supplementing the existing European Criminal Records Information System with information on third-country nationals convicted in the EU raises a number of fundamental rights issues.