Asylum

Grenzen und Informationssysteme

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.
  • 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.
  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    19
    September
    2024
    This publication guides EU countries on setting up independent monitoring mechanisms to ensure fundamental rights are respected during screening and asylum border procedures. These processes at borders are for people arriving from non-EU countries. Monitoring mechanisms are meant to prevent rights violations, protect victims, and support investigations into any allegations of wrongdoing by public authorities. The guidance highlights the importance of transparency and accountability, which builds trust in public authorities. New EU regulations coming into effect in 2026 will require such monitoring systems to be in place. This updates the guidance published in 2022.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    30
    Juli
    2024
    Fundamental rights violations on the EU’s land and sea borders often go unreported. Investigations into these violations need to be more effective. This report gathers examples of alleged rights violations of migrants and refugees between 2020 and 2023. It sets out 10 steps to promote prompt and effective national investigations into incidents of ill-treatment at borders.
    Produkte
    24
    Juli
    2020
    Dieser Leitfaden richtet sich an Grenzschutzpersonal in den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union (EU), das auf operativer Ebene tätig ist. Ziel ist die Unterstützung des Grenzschutzpersonals bei der Umsetzung der Grundrechtsgarantien des Schengener Grenzkodexes (Verordnung (EU) 2016/399) und des damit verbundenen EU-Rechts bei seiner täglichen Arbeit.
    19
    Juni
    2020
    In 2019, the International Organization for Migration estimated that 1,866 people have died or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe to escape war or persecution or to pursue a better life. This is an average of five people per day. In recent years, a significant proportion of migrants in distress at sea have been rescued by civil society vessels deployed with a humanitarian mandate to reduce fatalities and bring rescued migrants to safety. Since 2018, however, authorities in some EU Member States started viewing civil society-deployed rescue vessels with hostility. As a reaction, national authorities initiated about 40 administrative and criminal proceedings against crew members or vessels, including seizing the latter. In some cases, rescue vessels were blocked in harbours due to flag issues or the inability to meet technical requirements.
    27
    März
    2020
    French version now available
    24 April 2020
    Council of Europe (CoE) and European Union (EU) Member States have an undeniable sovereign right to control the entry of non-nationals into their territory. While exercising border control, states have a duty to protect the fundamental rights of all people under their jurisdiction, regardless of their nationality and/or legal status. Under EU law, this includes providing access to asylum procedures.
    16
    Januar
    2020
    Dieses Merkblatt unterstützt Beamte und Behörden bei der verständlichen und anschaulichen Information von Asylbewerbern und Migranten über die Verarbeitung ihrer Fingerabdrücke in Eurodac.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty focuses on the migration situation in the Mediterranean Sea and makes three proposals.
    19
    Juni
    2019
    In 2018, some 2,299 people are estimated to have died or gone missing at sea while crossing the sea to reach Europe to escape war or persecution or to pursue a better life. This is on average more than six people per day. Before mid-2017, a significant share of migrants in distress at sea have been rescued by civil society vessels deployed with a humanitarian mandate to reduce fatalities and bring rescued migrants to safety. In 2018, however, authorities in some Member States viewed civil society-deployed rescue vessels with hostility. As a reaction, they seized rescue vessels, arrested crew members, and initiated legal procedures against them (more than a dozen altogether). In some cases, rescue vessels were blocked in harbours due to flag issues.
    11
    März
    2019
    In November 2016, FRA formulated 21 individual opinions to address the fundamental rights shortcomings identified in the implementation of the hotspot approach in Greece and Italy. Despite genuine efforts to improve the situation since November 2016, many of the suggestions contained in the 21 opinions FRA formulated at the time remain valid.
    1
    Oktober
    2018
    This note draws attention to the recent trend of criminalising search and rescue operations (SAR) in the Mediterranean Sea carried out by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or other private entities. This includes seizing rescue vessels, as well as arrests for crew members, in some EU Member States. Most of such incidents concerned NGOs operating in the Central Mediterranean Sea.
    14
    September
    2018
    This Opinion by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) aims to inform the European Parliament’s position concerning the legislative proposal for a Regulation on strengthening the security of identity cards of European Union (EU) citizens and of residence documents issued to EU citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement. It focuses on the processing of biometric data and complements the opinion published by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS).
    10
    September
    2018
    This Opinion aims to
    inform the European Parliament’s position on the legislative proposal amending the
    Visa Information System, the Visa Code and other related provisions of EU law. The
    European Commission presented the proposal on 16 May 2018 and EU legislators are
    currently discussing it.
    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.
    11
    Juli
    2017
    The European Parliament requested this FRA Opinion on the fundamental rights and personal data protection implications of the proposed Regulation for the creation of a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), including an assessment of the fundamental rights aspects of the access
    by law enforcement authorities and Europol.
    7
    Juli
    2017
    Various proposals on EU-level information systems in the areas of borders and security mention interoperability, aiming to provide fast and easy access to information about third-country nationals.
    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.
    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
    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.
    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.
    22
    Oktober
    2015
    Processing biometric data for immigration, asylum and border management purposes has become common. This focus paper looks at measures authorities can take to enforce the obligation of newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants in an irregular situation to provide fingerprints for inclusion in Eurodac.