Justice

Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation

Your access to justice is a fundamental right. It is central to making your other rights a reality.

It protects rights of the individual. It puts right civil wrongs. It holds power to account. We shine a light on obstacles to access to justice. And we give evidence-based advice on overcoming them.

Highlights

  • Report / Paper / Summary
    24
    February
    2026
    The start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 shocked the global community and gave rise to a
    series of urgent fundamental rights challenges across Europe. While much attention has focused on the scale of devastation and its wider impact on all Ukrainians, the war has also inflicted profound personal harm. This report sheds light on the violence, sexual harassment and exploitation experienced by women displaced from Ukraine. Drawing on a survey and in-depth interviews with women from Ukraine, the report documents the prevalence, forms and patterns of gender-based violence and sets out practical measures to improve safety, access to justice and support.
  • Video
    There are no truly safe spaces for women. At home, at work, in public or online, 1 in 3 women and girls have experienced some form of gender-based violence. This ranges from hate, harassment, abuse, to physical and sexual violence. Women are being silenced and harmed - online and offline - every day, as the EU gender-based survey findings show. But we have the tools to fight it. By preventing violence before it starts, by strengthen legal protection, by funding support services for victims and by training police and healthcare professionals.
  • 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.
  • Page
    The Criminal Detention Database 2015-2022 combines in one place information on detention conditions in all 27 EU Member States as well as the United Kingdom.
    Publications and data
    19
    February
    2021
    This is the second main report from FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey, which collected data from 35,000 people on a range of issues. This report focuses on respondents’ experiences as victims of selected types of crime, including violence, harassment, and property crime. The report also examines how often these crimes are reported to the police, and presents further details relating to harassment and violence, such as the perpetrators and where the incidents took place.
    6
    October
    2020
    Business activity affects not just customers, employees, and contractors along supply chains, but often entire communities and the environment. This makes it vital that every business complies with human rights. This comparative report looks at the realities victims face when they seek redress for business-related human rights abuses. It presents the findings of fieldwork research on the views of professionals regarding the different ways people can pursue complaints. The findings highlight that obstacles to achieving justice are often multi-layered.
    29
    July
    2020
    As we enter the second half of 2020, the constraints on our daily lives brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic have become a firm reality. New local lockdowns and the reintroduction of restrictive measures prompted by fresh outbreaks of the virus are a stark reminder that COVID-19 continues to shape our lives – and our enjoyment of fundamental rights – in profound ways. There is compelling evidence of how the pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges in our societies. This FRA Bulletin outlines some of the measures EU Member States adopted to safely reopen their societies and economies while continuing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. It highlights the impact these measures may have on civil, political and socioeconomic rights.
    This video was produced for the launch of the Fundamental Rights Survey in June 2020 and gives an overview of the main results.
    22
    July
    2020
    This paper presents people’s concerns and experiences relating to security. It covers worry about crime, including terrorism and online fraud; experience of online fraud; experience of cyberharassment; and concern about illegal access to data.
    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
    June
    2020
    Now available in Macedonian and Serbian
    13 November 2020
    The year 2019 brought both progress and setbacks in terms of fundamental rights protection. FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020 reviews major 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.
    11
    June
    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
    May
    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
    December
    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
    December
    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
    French and German versions now available
    01 March 2022
    Facial recognition technology (FRT) makes it possible to compare digital facial images to determine whether they are of the same person. Comparing footage obtained from video cameras (CCTV) with images in databases is referred to as ‘live facial recognition technology’. Examples of national law enforcement authorities in the EU using such technology are sparse – but several are testing its potential. This paper therefore looks at the fundamental rights implications of relying on live FRT, focusing on its use for law enforcement and border-management purposes.
    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
    June
    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.
    FRA gave a presentation on 20 June on fundamental rights for Europol’s guest officers who will be deployed in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Lithuania.
    The impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, rising child poverty, widespread hate and protecting rights in the face of technological change are just some of the pressing human rights issues in FRA’s 2023 Fundamental Rights Report. With a focus section on the impact of the aggression within the EU, the report examines the support and solidarity provided by governments, local authorities and society. It suggests how EU countries can better ensure effective protection, especially for women who fled the conflict and need targeted support.
    FRA held a consultation webinar on the upcoming report on how human rights defenders at risk in non-EU countries can enter and stay in the EU.
    Victims of crime across the EU still do not receive adequate support or protection, finds a new report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Measures that could help respect victims’ rights are lacking or not well used. On European Day for Victims of Crime, FRA calls on EU countries to better protect victims, improve victim support and facilitate crime reporting.
    On 30 January, the Knowledge Sharing Unit of the European Court for Human Rights presented their newly-established ECHR Knowledge Sharing Platform to FRA.
    FRA attended a meeting of the Criminal Law Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE).
    The European Commission Representation in Croatia, in cooperation with the European Commission and FRA, held a dialogue on the rule of law in Croatia.
    The Annual Conference on Countering Terrorism in the EU 2022 took place online from 8 to 9 October.
    FRA met with German stakeholders in Berlin to discuss FRA findings on how to best move forward with the implementation of the EU Directive on procedural safeguards for children in criminal proceedings.
    Child-friendly templates for better communication, task forces to guide young repeat offenders and artistic expression courses in prison: these are just some of the good practices identified in a new report on safeguards for children in criminal proceedings from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). It identifies shortcomings in national justice systems and suggests potential remedies that countries could follow to uphold children’s rights in the judiciary.
    FRA just published its updated online criminal detention database. For the first time, it covers detention conditions of women and prison food. The database contains national standards, laws and monitoring reports on detention conditions from across the European Union and the United Kingdom.
    The pandemic triggered unprecedented EU financial support to counter the social impact of Covid-19. Many people in the EU, especially vulnerable people, faced reduced access to healthcare, childcare, education and the internet. This has led to excess mortality, poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2022 outlines the pandemic’s wide-ranging impact on social rights. It also suggests how to address increasing inequalities and threats to societal cohesion.
    On 18 May, FRA presented the update of its criminal detention conditions database during a meeting of the Council Working Party on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal matters.
    On 8 December, the Agency presented its various criminal justice work to the Council Working Party on Judicial Cooperation on Criminal Matters (COPEN).
    The FRA Director exchanged views with EU justice ministers during the Justice Council meeting on 10 December.
    The Crime, safety and victims' rights – Summary presents the main insights from FRA’s second main report from its Fundamental Rights Survey.
    FRA presented its online database of criminal detention conditions in the EU to judges and prosecutors.
    FRA gave a presentation at the annual conference of the ‘Migration Law Network’, the largest professional hub of German-speaking migration lawyers and academics.
    Acts of terrorism represent a serious threat to the lives and safety of people, and a profound security challenge for states. At the same time, laws and policies to counter the threat of terrorism can entail, directly or indirectly, serious limitations to fundamental rights and freedoms, finds a new report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Drawn from expert insight, it suggests how counter terrorism work can benefit from greater legal clarity, practical guidance and stronger safeguards.
    FRA provided fundamental rights input during a professional development workshop on the detention of applicants for international protection, organised by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).
    The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) invited FRA to present how to use the EU’s Fundamental Rights Charter in litigating judicial independence and related issues. This includes the use of FRA tools and materials.
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    FRA will take part in a series of seminars organised by the Council of Europe introducing their HELP course on procedural rights for lawyers in Bulgaria and Greece.
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    FRA’s Scientific Committee will hold an academic conference on 1 June in Lodz.
    An ad hoc meeting of the EU Victims’ Rights Platform will take place on 23 May. FRA will join the meeting online.
    FRA will speak during a roundtable event on human rights and the environment in international development financing.
    FRA will take part in the EU Victims’ Rights Platform meeting. The event will take place on 17 April in Brussels.
    FRA will participate in the annual conference of European Criminal Law Academic Network (ECLAN).
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    Over two days, judges, prosecutors and court staff will be at FRA for a training seminar focusing on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
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    On 13-14 March, FRA will meet the protecting victims of crime project team in Bucharest.
    FRA will take part in the annual meeting of European Presidents of Bar and Law Societies.
    FRA will take part in ELSA’s International Strategy meeting.
    On 13 December, FRA will speak at a webinar on ‘Child-friendly justice: Do words matter’.
    The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will hold a workshop in Vienna on 15 November.
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    The European Commission, in cooperation with FRA, is holding a national dialogue on the rule of law in Germany.
    The study visit group of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) will come to FRA on 10 October.
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    Between 22-24 September 2022, FRA will take part in the Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology in Malaga, Spain.
    On 6 July, FRA will meet a group of 19 academic staff from the German Federal Constitutional Court.
    On 27 June, FRA’s Director will join the 20 year anniversary celebrations of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in Valetta.