Systems

Support for human rights systems and defenders

Many organisations work to defend your rights. We help their efforts with independent evidence, advice and expertise.

We support their frontline work. And we shine a light on potential risks and priority areas. Together we make your rights a reality.

Highlights

  • Periodic updates / Series
    18
    October
    2023
    Civil society organisations struggle to maintain an environment safe from threats and attacks. FRA’s sixth annual update on civic space explores the challenges for organisations across the EU. While there has been significant development since FRA began monitoring the situation in 2018, civil society organisations remain under immense pressure. Abusive lawsuits and attacks against those involved in migrant search and rescue at sea are just some of the challenges identified. This report presents ways forward to protect civil society and human rights.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    11
    October
    2021
    This report proposes a framework for becoming, and functioning as, a ‘human rights city’ in the EU. It includes ‘foundations’, ‘structures’ and ‘tools’ for mayors, local administrations and grassroots organisations to reinforce fundamental rights locally. It is based on existing good practice and expert input by representatives of human rights cities in the EU, academic experts, international organisations and city networks.
  • Page
    The European Union Fundamental Rights Information System EFRIS is a Human Rights Gateway, bringing together data and information from existing human rights databases, and enables viewing and analysis of relevant assessments of fundamental rights in the EU.
  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    23
    October
    2018
    As a very modern human rights catalogue containing many rights not found in established bills of rights, the Charter indeed looks good on paper. Those familiar with the main principles of EU law can usually quickly recite that the Charter is always binding on the EU, and binding on Member States only when they are "implementing EU law". But what does this often-quoted language from Article 51 of the Charter actually mean?
Products
FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty addressed the European Economic and Social Committee’s Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship Section on 21 June. He presented different FRA tools that can support EESC members in their work.
FRA gave online training to 40 representatives of small-sized, grassroots and local human rights NGOs on communication strategies and campaigning.
The yearly joint FRA-European Judicial Training Network training on the EU Fundamental Rights Charter in national proceedings took place from 7 to 8 June.
The annual European Judicial Training Network study visit of judges and prosecutors to FRA this year went virtual.
FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty and the Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić held wide-ranging talks on 10 June in Vienna.
FRA held an online webinar on 5 May with its National Liaison Officers on its upcoming Framework of Commitments for Human Rights cities.
FRA exchanged views on civil society space with the European Parliament’s LIBE Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG).
The summary of FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey report on What do fundamental rights mean for people in the EU? is now available in all EU languages, except German, plus Macedonian and Serbian. The German version will follow soon.
The Fundamental Rights Report’s focus chapter on unlocking the EU’s Fundamental Rights Charter’s full potential is now also available online in Polish, Portuguese and Slovenian.
Last week, FRA's Director visited Ljubljana from 15 to 18 March to discuss assistance during the upcoming EU Presidency of Slovenia.
FRA has just released key findings from its consultation with its Fundamental Rights Platform on the impact of COVID-19 measures on the work of human rights civil society.
FRA seeks feedback from users on a range of its products, such as reports, datasets and handbooks.
FRA presented findings from its COVID-19 impact bulletins during a conference on the state of EU citizens’ rights. It drew attention to the impact of the pandemic on the fundamental right to family life for citizens moving about the EU.
Six EU Member States volunteered to review the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their countries in 2021. These countries are Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Sweden.
FRA’s Director attended a Frontex Management Board meeting on 10 November which addressed key fundamental rights issues.
The EU’s Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies are stepping up their mutual cooperation on digitalisation. Earlier today, the Heads of JHA Agencies came together for a virtual annual meeting, chaired by Eurojust, where they had a first exchange on Artificial Intelligence and digital capacity building, training tools and innovative learning. With the COVID-19 pandemic having served as a catalyst for teleworking and videoconferencing, the agencies agreed to explore avenues for closer cooperation in order to shape the digital future of law enforcement, border management and justice that respects fundamental rights.
On 3 November, the FRA Director met Ambassador Nuno Brito virtually, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the EU, to discuss FRA’s support to the upcoming Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The EEA and Norway Grants and FRA discussed online their cooperation at their annual meeting on 20 October.
The EU’s newly established Sustainable Finance Platform held its first meeting from 15 to 16 October. The Platform, based on a new EU regulation, consists of experts on environmental, sustainable finance and human rights.
On 10 December, FRA will take part in an online seminar on the human rights impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. FRA will deliver the first keynote presentation at the event, drawing on the results of its bulletins on the impact on fundamental rights of the pandemic.
FRA will speak at a roundtable in Czechia on establishing NHRIs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Government of Czechia will host the roundtable discussion.
FRA will take part via videoconference in a Commemorative Act marking 20 years since the proclamation of the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights.
FRA’s Director will address Heads of National Human Rights Insitutions during the Annual NHRIs conference on 2 December.
FRA will host an online discussion about findings from its Fundamental Rights Survey report on What do fundamental rights mean for people in the EU?
FRA will take part in the next meeting of the EU Agencies Network on Scientific Advice (ANSA) on 4 December.
The agency’s Scientific Committee will meet on 30 November.
FRA’s report on ‘Strong and effective national human rights institutions’ will feature during a meeting of the European Parliament’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regularly consults regional offices responsible for promoting and protecting human rights on how to coordinate their work better.
FRA will present findings from its recent report on ‘Strong and effective national human rights institutions’ during a leadership webinar on 9 November. This European Network of National Human Rights Institutions webinar will look at the role of and support for NHRIs in creating impacts from EU policies on rule of law, human rights and democracy.
The FRA Director will meet World Health Organization representatives to discuss the impact on human and fundamental rights of the COVID pandemic.
The FRA Director will participate in the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting organised by the European Parliament Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.
The FRA Director will have an informal exchange of views on 9 November on integration and social cohesion with EU interior ministers and members of the European Commission.
On 13 November, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) hosted its first Fundamental Rights Dialogue - a virtual event that gave young people an opportunity to voice their fundamental rights concerns and discussed ways to solve them with FRA's Director Michael O'Flaherty.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regularly consults regional offices responsible for promoting and protecting human rights on how to coordinate their work better.
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On 5 and 6 November, the agency’s National Liaison Officers (NLOs) will come together via video conference to discuss FRA’s cooperation with EU Member States.
On 20 October, the EEA and Norway Grants and FRA will have their annual meeting online.
On 7 December, it will be 20 years since the proclamation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by the Presidents of the EU institutions. On that day, FRA, in partnership with the European Commission will hold a virtual conference ‘Reinforcing the EU Charter: Rights of people in the EU in the next decade’. European Commission Vice-President, Věra Jourová who is in charge of the revised Strategy for the Charter’s implementation, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Koen Lenaerts, and FRA Director, Michael O’Flaherty, will have a panel discussion on the need for collective efforts to reinforce application of the Charter.
From 22 to 23 October, the European Law Academy will run its Annual Conference on European Company Law and Corporate Governance.
On 13 October, FRA’s Management Board member for Italy, Oreste Pollicino and FRA Scientific Committee member, Francesco Palermo, will speak at an event on Sustainable Development Goal 16, peace, justice and strong institutions, and the role of National Human Rights Institutions.