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

  • Report / Paper / Summary
    19
    December
    2023
    All EU funds must be spent in a way that respect fundamental rights. The EU spends billions of euros on creating jobs, economic growth, sustainable development and improving people’s lives. To prevent funds from being spent in ways that directly violate people’s fundamental rights, the EU strengthened the conditions how funds can be spent in 2021. This report looks at how the newly introduced conditions related to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be upheld in practice. It analyses the potential role of national human rights institutions, ombudsperson institutions and equality bodies. These safeguards can advance compliance with fundamental rights.
  • Periodic updates / Series
    6
    February
    2024
    The 2024 update on NHRIs accreditation status and mandates also covers their engagement in the monitoring of fundamental rights compliance in the use of EU funds at national level. Moreover, the update also shows how NHRIs make use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in their work when advising government or in education, training and awareness raising activities. Since its 2020 report 'Strong and effective national human rights institutions – challenges, promising practices and opportunities', the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has been regularly tracking the accreditation status and mandates of NHRIs.
  • 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.
Products
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 29 September, international organisations exchanged information on business and human rights-related activities.
Staff from intergovernmental organisations and EU institutions responsible for cooperation with civil society and for supporting human rights defenders met online on 28 September to exchange information about ongoing and upcoming activities.
EU Justice and Home Affairs agencies exchanged experiences on 24 September on how they apply the EU’s Fundamental Rights Charter.
On 24 September 2020, FRA’s Management Board formally decided to extend the contract of Michael O’Flaherty as Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for another three years.
FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty gave a keynote speech in Salzburg on 28 August on fundamental rights during the COVID 19 pandemic.
National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are crucial for the protection and promotion of fundamental rights across the EU but their full potential remains untapped, finds a new report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). It suggests next steps to boost NHRIs’ impact and efficiency, such as providing adequate resources, strong powers and clear mandates in line with the United Nations Paris Principles.
Verbal threats, physical attacks and lack of funding are some of the main challenges for civil society organisations working on human rights in the European Union. Moreover, almost half say that the situation in their country has deteriorated in the last year. These findings come from the second annual consultation, carried out by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) among civil society organisations across the EU.
On 9 July, the CoE-FRA-ENNHRI-EQUINET collaborative platform on social and economic rights discussed the societal challenges triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nine Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies (CEPOL, EASO, EIGE, EMCDDA, eu-LISA, Eurojust, Europol, FRA and Frontex) have been supporting the Member States and EU institutions in meeting the unprecedented challenges resulting from the outbreak of the virus – each agency in its respective area of work, in both the short term and the long term.
On 13 July, Elise Barbé takes office as the new Chairperson of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Sunniva McDonagh will join her as Vice-Chairperson. FRA’s Management Board elected them during its meeting in June 2020.
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.
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FRA’s migration reporting toolkit for journalists will feature in two workshops and be discussed with media partners during the III International Congress of Migration Reporting. The workshops will present how journalists’ knowledge of fundamental rights affects migration reporting.
The FRA Director will give a keynote speech at the 2020 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform on 15 October. He will focus on ‘Where are we today in terms of connectivity between regional and global human rights mechanisms’.
FRA will present its European Fundamental Rights Information System (EFRIS) tool to civil society via its Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP) on 7 October.
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The next Fundamental Rights Forum will take place in Vienna on 11 and 12 October 2021.
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FRA will contribute, for the first time as a cooperating partner, to the annual NHRI Academy.