Equality

Equality, non-discrimination and racism

Equality is a core value of the EU. You have the right to fair treatment regardless of who you are, what you believe, or how you chose to live.

We carry out research and share expertise to help fight discrimination, inequality and racism in all its forms.

Highlights

  • Report / Paper / Summary
    27
    January
    2026
    This report looks at antisemitism in the EU, focusing on what can be done to address gaps in recording and inconsistencies in data collection. It highlights existing tools and guidance for Member States to improve their recording systems. The analysis is based on official administrative data and information from publicly available sources across EU Member States, as well as Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Detailed country overviews are available for all countries covered. Antisemitism has been monitored by FRA since 2004. This report builds on the 2024 publication, ‘Jewish People’s Experiences and Perceptions of Antisemitism’.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    27
    November
    2025
    This report looks at the breadth and depth of violence and neglect faced by people with disabilities living in institutions. It highlights the shortcomings by EU Member States in preventing violence and protecting those who are at a higher risk of experiencing it, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Based on research across all EU Member States and FRA observer candidate countries, the report calls for better protection, stronger prevention of violence, and clear accountability. It urges the EU and its Member States to implement their obligations around equality and fundamental rights.
  • Data explorer
    FRA’s 2024 survey on Roma and Travellers in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain collected information from 10,126 respondents living in private households who self-identify as Roma or Traveller, are 16 or older and have lived in the survey countries for at least the 12 months before the survey.
    Publications and data
    30
    January
    2025
    This technical report presents in detail the stages of the survey implementation and the relevant information needed to assess the quality and reliability of the data.
    25
    November
    2024
    This report presents key results of the EU gender-based violence survey based on data from all 27 Member States. The report focuses on the overall prevalence of physical violence or threats and/or sexual violence by any perpetrator, violence perpetrated by women’s intimate partners and by other people (non-partners) and women’s experiences of sexual harassment at work.
    The results from the EU gender-based violence survey represent women aged 18 to 74 from across the EU. It covers experiences of physical, sexual and psychological violence, including domestic and non-partner violence. It also reports on sexual harassment at work.
    25
    October
    2024
    Racism towards Muslims is increasing in countries across the EU. Muslims face racial discrimination and racist harassment because of their religion, skin colour or ethnic background. This report shows a sharp rise since the last survey in 2016.
    11
    July
    2024
    Antisemitism is still a reality for many Jewish people in the EU today. Faced with prejudice and hostility, most feel unable to live openly Jewish lives. This report presents the results of FRA’s third EU survey of Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of antisemitism. The survey took place before the Hamas attacks in October 2023 and the war in Gaza; however, it includes evidence from a consultation with national and European Jewish umbrella organisations since. It covers 13 EU Member States that together account for around 96 % of the EU’s Jewish population.
    The third iteration of the EU LGBTIQ Survey of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), was conducted in 2023. It presents the experiences of LGBTIQ people across the EU 27 Member States, and the candidate countries Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, on the extent to which they enjoy fundamental rights. It provides policymakers with a solid empirical basis for evidence-based policies to ensure respect and protection for and fulfilment of the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ people. This interactive data explorer shows data from the survey for over 150 questions and contains multiple options for filtering, exporting and sharing the data.
    5
    June
    2024
    FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2024 analyses the year’s developments in fundamental rights. It focuses on the most pressing fundamental rights concerns facing Europe in 2023: the cost-of-living crisis, rights concerns at the EU’s external borders and migration, and threats to democracy. Re-structured, this year’s new approach is a shorter and sharper analysis. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a summary of the evidence supporting these opinions.
    5
    June
    2024
    The year 2023 brought both progress and setbacks in terms of fundamental rights protection. FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2023 reviews developments in the field, identifying both achievements and remaining areas of concern. This publication presents FRA’s opinions on the main developments in the thematic areas covered and a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions. In so doing, it provides a compact but informative overview of the main fundamental rights challenges confronting the EU and its Member States.
    29
    May
    2024
    Ahead of the EU elections, this report explores the political participation of people with disabilities. Although some Member States removed restrictions on the right to vote and to stand for elections, barriers still exist. This report is an update of new developments following FRA’s last report published in 2014. It sets out ways forward to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities, in line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
    14
    May
    2024
    FRA’s third LGBTIQ survey shows that people still experience hate-motivated violence and discrimination. Trans and intersex people face even greater victimisation. Yet, signs of progress show that the EU’s and Member States’ efforts can positively affect people’s lives. More LGBTIQ people are open about their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.
    10
    April
    2024
    Racism in the police can include discriminatory racial profiling practices through to excessive use of force. Incidents like these highlight deeper systemic issues that need addressing. Many in society are affected by racism in policing, not only the individuals or communities targeted. Lack of trust in policing can fuel social exclusion and damages the foundations of a fair and equal society, however promising practices are developing to address these issues. This is the first EU-wide report on racism in policing. FRA’s findings identify gaps in regulatory frameworks and propose concrete steps for action.
    FRA in close cooperation with the European Commission and the Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED), developed 28 human rights indicators to assess the political participation of persons with disabilities in the EU.
    2
    February
    2024
    This technical report provides all the relevant technical information on the design, implementation and finalisation of the survey on immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Details of the data collection process also contribute to the iterative improvement of survey methodologies, especially when it comes to surveying populations and groups that are considered ‘hard-to-reach’ or difficult to survey.
    31
    January
    2024
    Children’s rights exist to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child. Improved child protection systems ensure that these rights are met. In recent years, the EU has taken significant steps to improve child protection systems. This mapping of child protection systems gives an overview of the state of such systems at national level and developments since 2015. It promotes the improvement of integrated child protection systems. It is an update of FRA’s mapping of child protection systems in 2015, based on data collected in 2023 in the 27 EU Member States. By publishing this, FRA aims to support securing the sustainable well-being, safety and rights of all children living in the EU.
    29
    November
    2023
    Online hate speech is a growing problem in today’s digitalised societies. Women, Black people, Jews and Roma are often targets of online hate speech. Online hate proliferates where human content moderators miss offensive content. Also, algorithms are prone to errors. They may multiply errors over time and may even end up promoting online hate. This report presents the challenges in identifying and detecting online hate. Hate of any kind should not be tolerated, regardless of whether it is online or offline. The report discusses the implications for fundamental rights to support creating a rights-compliant digital environment.
    7
    November
    2023
    Antisemitic incidents and hate crimes violate fundamental rights. This report provides an overview of antisemitic incidents in 2022. It reveals persistent gaps in the recording of antisemitism across Europe that impedes efforts to effectively counter hatred towards Jews. It covers antisemitic incidents reported in the 27 EU Member States in 2022 and includes available data of the same year from Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. As this is a yearly publication covering the period 01/01/2022–31/12/2022, it does not include antisemitic incidents reported in 2023. This is the 19th edition and is the only annual source of data of this nature for the EU.
    Findings from FRA’s Being Black in the EU report point to people of African descent experiencing widespread racism and discrimination in their daily lives.
    25
    October
    2023
    FRA's first Being Black in the EU report exposed widespread and entrenched racism against people of African descent in Europe. Now updated with new data, this report revisits the situation revealing persistent racial discrimination, harassment and violence. Overall, experiences of racial discrimination increased in the EU countries since 2016, reaching as high as 77%. The lack of progress is alarming despite binding anti-discrimination law in the EU since 2000 and significant EU policy developments since then.
    20
    October
    2023
    FRA’s strategic priorities and objectives are based on the agency’s role and mission as defined in its amended founding regulation. They build on FRA’s 2018–2022 strategy as well as how it performed, its experience and its vision. Their design takes into account future fundamental rights challenges facing Europe, the agency’s mandate, the broader operational context and the resources available.
    13
    September
    2023
    Europe’s ageing population is ever-increasing, and our societies are becoming more digitalised. Many public services are now available online, with many more services in the process of being digitalised. But the digitalisation of public services poses a risk of exclusion for older persons. In this new report, FRA explores the impact of digitalisation on the fundamental rights of older persons. The report maps the current legislation, policies and practices fostering digital inclusion. It provides an overview of the laws at the national level that provide for equal access to public services, both online and offline. The findings show how Member States safeguard older person’s rights to access services undergoing digitalisation. It outlines how Member States can support digital skills and ensure older people can fully participate in public life.

    This video statement by FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty was recorded for the online event "Union of Equality: achievements and challenges ahead".
    Although many steps have been taken in recent years to change LGBTI people’s lives for the better in the EU, there is still a long way to go, notes FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty in this video message to Athens Pride 2020.
    In his latest vlog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Roma community. Roma children are in danger of losing almost a whole year of schooling. It’s like losing a generation. It’s robbing children of the one place where they can have hope and dream the same dreams of every other child.
    In this video message to the Equality2020 conference on 29 June, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about our shared struggle for a Europe that honours everybody in their diversity, in their equality and in their dignity.
    In this video message FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about LGBTI equality on the occasion of the Global Pride 2020:
    https://www.globalpride2020.org/
    Today, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights launches the second LGBTI survey, mapping the experience of what it is to be LGBTI in the EU.
    In 2019 the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) carried out the world’s biggest ever survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people’s life experiences. Almost 140,000 LGBTI people told us about their lives – in their own words.
    Based on the lessons learned from relocation
    experiences and on existing international and EU legal
    standards, FRA has developed a number of practical
    suggestions for the adjustment of relocation efforts to
    the protection needs of unaccompanied children. This
    guidance aims to be a practical tool for Member States
    that wish to engage in the relocation of unaccompanied
    children and in any future responsibility-sharing
    mechanisms, and to gain knowledge on how this can
    be done while respecting the child’s best interests.
    Michael O'Flaherty talks in his vlog about the human rights aspects in the context of the Coronavirus epidemic and introduces FRA's new report.
    In this edition of his vlog, Michael O'Flaherty talks about the human rights aspects in the context of the Corona virus epidemic.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about the publication of FRA's second LGBTI-survey on the 17th of March and how we can use the results to further battle discrimination.
    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: Not all children benefit equally from efforts to guarantee child rights.
    Some groups face particular difficulties.
    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.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty talks about discrimination on the basis of age in the EU and calls for more respect for Human- and Fundamental Rights of older people.
    In the light of the events in New Zealand, Michael O'Flaherty talks about discrimination and hate crime against Muslims in the EU and makes 4 proposals on how to make Muslims feel more safe.
    Michael O'Flaherty focuses on the situation of the Jewish community living in the EU.
    From 21 to 23 April, FRA joined several events within the Roma Week in the European Parliament organised by the European umbrella Roma civil society organisation, the ERGO Network.
    On 11 and 12 May, FRA spoke at the meeting of Special Envoys and Coordinators on combating antisemitism (SECCA), and contributed to the meeting of the World Jewish Congress.
    FRA presented its report on ‘Violence against persons with disabilities in institutions’ to the Irish Parliament’s Joint Committee on Disability Matters, in a dedicated session on 6 May on freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse for people with disabilities.
    FRA spoke about the impact of climate change on children and their rights at an online conference on 29 April on climate rights for children in Europe. FRA stressed the need towards a fundamental rights-compliant European Green Deal that calls for citizens’ active participation, including children, as child participation is also an important part of Integrated Child Protection Systems.
    A seminar hosted by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and FRA on 20 April highlighted that legislative frameworks, while essential, are not sufficient on their own to ensure full equality for LGBTIQ people. Discussions underlined the added value of soft law instruments, in particular national action plans and strategies, in supporting effective and sustained implementation of the EU LGBTIQ Strategy 2026-2030.
    On 17 April, FRA gave a presentation on interviewer training methods based on the agency’s experiences of implementing large-scale data collection on violence against women. The presentation took place in an expert group meeting on interviewer training in violence against women surveys and modules, organised by the World Health Organization.
    FRA attended a concept note drafting meeting on 25 March in Prague under the EEA/Norway Grants Roma inclusion and empowerment programme for financial mechanism 2021-2028 in Czechia.
    FRA joined the international ‘Discrimination against Roma people in Central and Eastern Europe’ research workshop, organised by the Budapest Institute.
    The Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU in Brussels hosted an event on 26 March to discuss the latest EU data on gender-based violence. FRA gave a presentation summarising the results of the EU survey on gender-based violence and selected opinions based on FRA and EIGE’s analysis.
    FRA and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) presented an overview of the findings and opinions from their joint report on the EU survey on gender-based violence to the European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM).
    FRA attended the Steering Committee Meeting of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR).
    On 17 March, FRA Director Sirpa Rautio delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 European Anti Racism Conference. She emphasised the importance of rights-based evidence, robust indicators and strong equality-data systems to identify and address structural racism.
    On 18 March, FRA took part in the handover of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Presidency from Israel to Argentina. This event provided an important opportunity to reaffirm FRA’s ongoing commitment to Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism alongside international stakeholders and partners.
    On 16 March, FRA hosted a webinar on the state of play and ways forward on antisemitism in the EU. It presented FRA’s report on monitoring and recording antisemitism in the EU.
    FRA and EIGE presented selected results from the EU survey on gender-based violence at the meeting of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and UNICEF’s group of experts on statistics on children.
    The Handbook on European law relating to the rights of the child illustrates how relevant law and case law accommodate children’s interests and needs. Recognising children as full-fledged rights holders, it is a key reference on both EU and Council of Europe law.
    On 24 February, FRA joined a technical meeting on Roma inclusion and empowerment as part of the programming process for the EEA/Norway grants in Bulgaria’s Local Development Programme.
    Pavee Point and FRA held a national launch of Roma survey 2024 results for Ireland on 4 February in Dublin.
    New findings from the EU gender-based violence survey reveal a stark reality – violence against women is widespread, increasingly digital and overlooked by the institutions meant to address and prevent it. Intimate partner violence, psychological abuse, economic violence and cyber violence are among the most widespread forms but often the least recognised. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) urge the Union to align law, policy and practice with women’s experiences. The scale of unreported violence shows systems are not working adequately.
    On 26 February, FRA addressed the opening panel of the conference TACTICS for Change: Systemic strategies for coordinated responses to domestic violence.
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    FRA’s Director will present FRA’s report on violence against people with disabilities in institutions to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the opening of the Committee’s 34th Session.
    A round table conversation with experts into what the freshly released EU gender-based violence survey report tells us – not only about the prevalence of violence against women, but also about the impact, systems and solutions. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) will moderate.
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    FRA will join online a Eurostat working group meeting that takes place from 4 to 5 March. This is the annual meeting of the Eurostat working group on crime and criminal justice statistics.
    The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) is hosting an online knowledge café on 4 March. The webinar will foster a dialogue among several actors and promote actionable pathways towards preventing violence in institutional settings, improving support quality, and transitioning to inclusive and rights-based community services.
    FRA will attend the ‘TACTICS for Change: Systemic Strategies for Coordinated Responses to Domestic Violence’ policy conference, organised by the European Network for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence.
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    FRA will speak at the Combating antisemitism conference: addressing challenges of intolerance and discrimination. It will present its recently-released report ‘Monitoring and recording antisemitism: state of play and ways forward’.
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    FRA will host a consultation meeting in Vienna from 28 to 29 January. It will bring together Ombuds Offices for Children and leading child rights advocates from across Europe.
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    FRA will host a consultation meeting in Vienna from 28 to 29 January. It will bring together Ombuds Offices for Children and leading child rights advocates from across Europe.
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    FRA will contribute to a European Commission's Working Group meeting on the implementation of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. It takes place from 13 to 14 January in Brussels.
    On 10 December, Human Rights Day, FRA and the Bulgarian Fund for Women will host a national outreach meeting in Sofia. The ‘Between Statistics and Reality: Domestic Violence in Bulgaria Beyond the Numbers’ event will discuss the latest EU data on violence against women.
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    FRA will give a presentation during the plenary meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
    The Center for the Study of Democracy and FRA will host a National Round Table spotlighting Roma equality and inclusion. The event will present the Roma survey 2024 results, revealing both progress and persistent gaps in poverty, education, housing, and discrimination.
    FRA will deliver a keynote speech during the Queer in Vienna conference on 13 November. FRA will speak about the role of data protecting fundamental rights and promoting equality using the case of its EU LGBTIQ Survey.
    FRA will speak the Academy of European Law (ERA) about its work on disability.
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    FRA will speak at a high-level conference on disability in Copenhagen. Experts from the Member States, the EU, organisations and civil society representatives will attend.
    FRA will contribute to the 4th Child-Friendly Justic European Network annual seminar on 23 October on bridging child protection and child justice. It will join an interactive session on strengthening the capacities and the roles of child protection systems in Europe.
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    FRA will host a consultation meeting on violence against people with disabilities in institutions from 21 to 22 October. It will build on key findings of FRA’s forthcoming comparative report on laws and practices to prevent and protect against violence towards people with disabilities in institutions in the EU.
    On 13 October, the Agency will take participate in the 7th Advisory Board meeting of the EU Children’s Participation Platform. FRA is a Board member.
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    FRA will host the workshop of the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies Network and selected other agencies to discuss the collection and use of data on gender-based violence.
    FRA will contribute to discussions on the EU anti-poverty strategy. Participants will discuss how international human rights standards and the Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights can inform the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.