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
    21
    Juni
    2018
    The EU Return Directive (2008/115/EC) in Article 8 (6) introduced an important fundamental rights safeguard for third-country nationals ordered to leave the EU because they do not or no longer fulfil the conditions for entry and/or stay. According to the Directive, Member States must provide for an effective forced-return monitoring system.
    15
    Juni
    2018
    The stories of the domestic workers FRA interviewed for this paper reveal appalling working conditions and fundamental rights abuses in private homes across the EU. These stories indicate that, seven years on from FRA’s first report on domestic workers in 2011, little has changed in terms of the risks and experiences of severe labour exploitation domestic workers in the EU face.
    6
    Juni
    2018
    The year 2017 brought both progress and setbacks in terms of rights protection. The European Pillar of Social Rights marked an important move towards a more ‘social Europe’. But, as experiences with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights underscore, agreement on a text is merely a first step. Even in its eighth year as the EU's binding bill of rights, the Charter's potential was not fully exploited, highlighting the need to more actively promote its use.
    6
    Juni
    2018
    Das Jahr 2017 brachte in Bezug auf den Schutz der Grundrechte sowohl Fortschritte als auch
    Rückschritte. Der Grundrechte-Bericht 2018 der FRA bietet eine Zusammenfassung und Analyse
    der wichtigsten einschlägigen Entwicklungen in der EU zwischen Januar und Dezember
    2017 und präsentiert die diesbezüglichen Stellungnahmen der FRA.
    Periodic updates / Series
    28
    Mai
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. This report focuses on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. This report addresses fundamental rights concerns between 1 March-30 April 2018.
    17
    Mai
    2018
    Zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen in der Europäischen Union spielen bei der Förderung
    der Grundrechte eine entscheidende Rolle, doch gestaltet sich dies – aufgrund rechtlicher
    und praktischer Einschränkungen – für sie immer schwieriger. In der vorliegenden Zusammenfassung werden die
    wichtigsten Ergebnisse des Berichts und die Stellungnahmen
    der FRA zu den Fragen, die damit aufgeworfen
    werden, skizziert.
    25
    April
    2018
    The methods used to determine the age of
    an applicant may include “invasive” medical tests which interfere with the rights of the child, including their right to dignity,
    integrity and privacy. It is often a challenge to find the right balance between protecting children from harm and promoting
    their participation in these procedures. This report provides important insights and identifies the implications of collecting
    children’s biometric data and conducting age assessments.
    19
    April
    2018
    This Opinion by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) aims to inform the European Parliament position concerning legislative proposals on interoperability between EU information technology systems (IT systems) presented on 12 December 2017 and currently discussed by the EU legislators.
    28
    März
    2018
    This report outlines the fundamental rights implications of collecting, storing and using
    biometric and other data in EU IT systems in the area of asylum and migration.
    Periodic updates / Series
    26
    März
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. These focus on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered are: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
    This infographic illustrates the positive and negative impact on fundamental rights of using large-scale IT systems for security and border management.
    Periodic updates / Series
    26
    Februar
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. These focus on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered are: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
    For the past two years, FRA has been visiting reception centres for migrants across the EU.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    5
    Februar
    2018
    This focus report assesses how the presence of
    large numbers of persons in need of international
    protection affects local communities in terms of
    housing, education, the local economy and social
    responses.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    5
    Februar
    2018
    EU Member States’ legal and practical responses to migrants and refugees implicate several of their fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU). The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has regularly reported on these issues since September 2015. This report highlights key trends and persistent concerns between October 2016 and December 2017. It focuses on five areas: access to territory, reception conditions, asylum procedures, unaccompanied children and immigration detention.
    16
    Januar
    2018
    Vormünder sind zentral in einem System zum Schutz von Kindern, die vorübergehend oder dauerhaft aus ihrem familiären Umfeld herausgelöst wurden und deren Interessen nicht von ihren Eltern vertreten werden können. Zwischen den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union (EU) und auch innerhalb der Mitgliedstaaten gibt es große Unterschiede in den Arten von Vormundschaft. Dieser Bericht untersucht die wesentlichen Merkmale von Vormundschaftssystemen, die den Bedürfnissen schutzbedürftiger Kinder gerecht werden sollen. Dies schließt Kinder ein, die Opfer von Menschenhandel und anderen Formen der Ausbeutung sind, und Kinder, die Gefahr laufen, Opfer von Menschenhandel oder anderen Formen der Ausbeutung zu werden.
    Easy-to-read report
    3
    Januar
    2018
    More than 20 million immigrants lived in the European Union in 2016. This means that 1 person in 25 was an immigrant. Having more immigrants and refugees makes it even more important for the governments to have plans to help them to integrate.
    This survey involved interviews with 25,515 people with different ethnic minority and immigrant backgrounds across 28 EU countries. It explores issues concerning discrimination as well as experiences of harassment, hate-motivated violence and discriminatory profiling.
    This infographic illustrates the main experiences immigrants and ethnic minorities across the EU have when it comes to discrimination. It draws from the findings from FRA's EU-MIDIS II survey.
    This infographic illustrates the main experiences immigrants and ethnic minorities across the EU have when it comes to victimisation. It draws from the findings from FRA's EU-MIDIS II survey.