Highlights

  • Report / Paper / Summary
    13
    November
    2025
    FRA analysed 31 digital tools and systems across seven EU Member States, exploring potential positive and negative effects on victims, claimants and defendants. By identifying risks early, investing in skills and training, and embedding protections from the outset, policymakers and practitioners can build effective and inclusive justice systems. This report provides practical suggestions to help ensure that digitalised justice systems are accessible and deliver fair outcomes for all.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    7
    März
    2024
    Tackling greenwashing is an issue where human rights, consumer rights and climate goals align. Companies use greenwashing to convince people to buy products that are not always as environmentally friendly as they claim to be. They mislead consumers and harm the environment. This report shows how a human rights approach can combat greenwashing. It is based on consultations with experts in 10 Member States. The report identifies gaps in existing laws and enforcement. It includes case studies of consumers seeking remedies for misleading environmental claims. The EU and Member States should enforce rules that make it harder for companies to make misleading environmental claims. They should strengthen rules that make it easier for consumers to prove that companies are greenwashing. Consumer and environmental organisations already hold governments and business to account. Governments should make it easier to use collective action for the protection of consumer rights and the environment.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    26
    März
    2024
    The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) allows Member States to implement judicial decisions issued in another Member State. It applies to decisions such as arrests for the purpose of criminal prosecutions or the execution of custodial sentences. After being in force for over 20 years, FRA’s findings provide evidence for an assessment of the legislation in practice. This report looks at the fundamental rights challenges that people face who are requested through an EAW. It provides a unique insight into their experiences and those of the professionals involved. FRA’s findings indicate that shared challenges exist across EU Member States. They must increase efforts to ensure that people are able to take part in criminal proceedings and receive a fair trial.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    21
    Juni
    2022
    Every child has a right to be protected even when they are accused or suspected of committing a crime. The basic principles of justice apply to adults and children alike. But children face specific obstacles during criminal proceedings, such as a lack of understandable information about their rights, limited legal support and poor treatment. The report looks at the practical implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/800 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings in nine Member States – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Poland and Portugal.
    Produkte
    What are the next steps in the digitalisation of justice and of access to justice? This impulse video statement by FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty was recorded for the online conference “Access to Justice in the Digital Age”. The conference takes place on 16 July and is organised by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection during the German Council Presidency.
    The EU Return Directive 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.
    11
    Juni
    2020
    Das Jahr 2019 brachte beim Schutz der Grundrechte sowohl Fortschritte als auch Rückschritte. In ihrem Grundrechte-Bericht 2020 untersucht die FRA wichtige Entwicklungen auf diesem Gebiet und zeigt sowohl Erfolge auf als auch Bereiche, in denen es immer noch Probleme gibt. Darüber hinaus formuliert die FRA in dieser Veröffentlichung ihre Stellungnahmen zu den wichtigsten Entwicklungen in den abgedeckten Themenbereichen und gibt einen Überblick über die Informationen, die diesen Stellungnahmen zugrunde liegen. So 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.
    11
    Juni
    2020
    FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020 reviews major developments in the field in 2019, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions. This year’s focus chapter explores how to unlock the full potential of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
    28
    Mai
    2020
    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to interrupt everyday life in the EU in unprecedented ways. But the way it affects our societies is shifting. As governments gradually lift some of the measures put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19, new fundamental rights concerns arise: how to ensure that the rights to life and health are upheld as daily life transitions to a ‘new normal’. This Bulletin looks at declarations of states of emergency, or equivalent, and how they came under scrutiny. It considers the impact on fundamental rights in important areas of daily life, and includes a thematic focus on the processing of users’ data to help contain COVID-19, particularly by contact-tracing apps. It covers the period 21 March – 30 April 2020.
    Check out the EU's modern human rights catalogue and its chapter about Justice.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about the human rights challenges, but also the opportunities, that come along with the development of artificial intelligence technology.
    11
    Dezember
    2019
    This report looks at five core aspects of detention conditions in EU Member States: the size of cells; the amount of time detainees can spend outside of these cells, including outdoors; sanitary conditions; access to healthcare; and whether detainees are protected from violence. For each of these aspects of detention conditions, the report first summarises the minimum standards at international and European levels. It then looks at how these standards are translated into national laws and other rules of the EU Member States.
    2
    Dezember
    2019
    Growing global efforts to encourage responsible business conduct that respects human rights include steps to ensure access to effective remedies when breaches occur. In 2017, the European Commission asked the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) to collect evidence on such access in the EU Member States, with the ultimate goal of identifying the EU actions most needed in this field. FRA’s resulting research involved two phases: desk research on different incidents of abuse; and interview-based fieldwork on professionals’ views on the availability and effectiveness of different complaint avenues.
    27
    November
    2019
    Mithilfe von Gesichtserkennungstechnologie können digitale Gesichtsbilder verglichen werden, um festzustellen, ob sie dieselbe Person zeigen. Der Vergleich von Aufnahmen von Videokameras mit Bildern in Datenbanken wird als Live-Gesichtserkennungstechnologie bezeichnet. Nur wenige nationale Strafverfolgungsbehörden in der EU nutzen derzeit eine solche Technologie – doch mehrere erproben ihr Potenzial. Im vorliegenden Fokuspapier werden daher die Auswirkungen der Live-Gesichtserkennungstechnologie im Hinblick auf die Grundrechte untersucht, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf der Nutzung für die Zwecke der Strafverfolgung und des Grenzmanagements liegt.
    27
    September
    2019
    Protecting the rights of anyone suspected or accused of a crime is an essential element of the rule of law. Courts, prosecutors and police officers need certain powers to enforce the law – but trust in the outcomes of their efforts will quickly erode without effective safeguards. Such safeguards take on various forms, and include the right to certain information and to a lawyer.
    This handbook provides an overview of key aspects of access to justice in Europe.
    Opening Video for FRA event - From wrongs to rights: ending severe labour exploitation.
    25
    Juni
    2019
    This report is the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s fourth on the topic of severe labour exploitation. Based on interviews with 237 exploited workers, it paints a bleak picture of severe exploitation and abuse. The workers include both people who came to the EU, and EU nationals who moved to another EU country. They were active in diverse sectors, and their legal status also varied.
    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.
    13
    Juni
    2019
    Der Leitfaden Kinder ohne elterliche Fürsorge, die in einem anderen EU-Mitgliedstaat als ihrem
    eigenen angetroffen werden hat das Ziel, die Handlungsfähigkeit aller im Bereich Kinderschutz
    tätigen Akteure zu stärken. Der Schutz dieser Mädchen und Jungen ist von höchster Bedeutung und
    stellt für die EU-Mitgliedstaaten eine Verpflichtung dar, die sich aus dem internationalen und dem
    europäischen Rechtsrahmen ableitet. Der vorliegende Leitfaden legt den Schwerpunkt auf Kinder,
    die Opfer von Menschenhandel geworden sind oder Gefahr laufen, dies zu werden, indem auf die
    Umsetzung der Ziele eingegangen wird, die in der Mitteilung der Kommission zur Berichterstattung
    über die Folgemaßnahmen zur Strategie der EU zur Beseitigung des Menschenhandels von
    2017 beschrieben wurden. Dabei werden ermittelte Muster beleuchtet, auch im Hinblick auf die
    geschlechtsspezifischen Besonderheiten von Straftaten.
    11
    Juni
    2019
    Algorithms used in machine learning systems and artificial intelligence (AI) can only be as good as the data used for their development. High quality data are essential for high quality algorithms. Yet, the call for high quality data in discussions around AI often remains without any further specifications and guidance as to what this actually means.
    6
    Juni
    2019
    How much progress can we expect in a decade? Various rights-related instruments had been in place for 10 years in 2018, prompting both sobering and encouraging reflection on this question.
    6
    Juni
    2019
    Das Jahr 2018 brachte in Bezug auf den Schutz der Grundrechte sowohl
    Fortschritte als auch Rückschritte. In ihrem Grundrechte-Bericht 2019
    untersucht die FRA wichtige Entwicklungen auf diesem Gebiet und zeigt sowohl
    Erfolge als auch Bereiche auf, in denen es immer noch Probleme gibt. Darüber
    hinaus äußert sich die FRA in dieser Veröffentlichung zu den wichtigsten
    Entwicklungen in den genannten Themenbereichen und gibt einen Überblick
    über die Informationen, die diesen Stellungnahmen zugrunde liegen.