Newsroom

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights issue the third edition of their widely-used practical handbook on European migration and asylum law.
FRA and the European Court of Human Rights will launch the 2020 edition of the FRA and Council of Europe handbook on European law relating to asylum, borders and immigration. This online book launch will take place on 17 December. It is being organised in collaboration with the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).
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On 17 and 18 December, FRA will contribute to an expert meeting organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Olivier De Schutter. The meeting aims to help prepare the Special Rapporteur’s report on intergenerational transmission of poverty.
Rights International Spain is hosting a webinar on public policies to eradicate ethnic profiling.
The dataset from FRA’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) survey is now available for further use by researchers.
Artificial intelligence is here. It’s not going away. It can be a force for good, but it needs to be watched so carefully in terms of respect for our human fundamental rights. The EU Fundamental Rights Agency is deeply committed to this work.Our ambition is not just to ensure that AI respects our rights, but also that it protects and promotes them.
Will AI revolutionise the delivery of our public services? And what's the right balance? How is the private sector using AI to automate decisions — and what implications
might that have? Are some form of binding rules necessary to monitor and regulate the use of AI technology - and what should these rules look like?
How do we embrace progress while protecting our fundamental rights? As data-driven decision making increasingly touches our daily lives, what does this mean
for our fundamental rights? A step into the dark? Or the next giant leap? The time to answer these questions is here and now. Let’s seize the opportunities, but understand the challenges. Let’s make AI work for everyone in Europe…And get the future right.
Michael O’Flaherty
FRA Director, Michael O’Flaherty, delivers his opening remarks during the joint FRA / German Presidency of the EU online conference on 'Doing AI the European way: Protecting fundamental rights in an era of artificial intelligence' on 14 December 2020.
From tracking the spread of COVID-19 to deciding who will receive social benefits, artificial intelligence (AI) affects the lives of millions of Europeans. Automation can improve decision-making. But AI can lead to mistakes, discrimination and be hard to challenge. A new EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report reveals confusion about the impact of AI on people’s rights. This even among organisations already using it. FRA calls on policymakers to provide more guidance on how existing rules apply to AI and ensure any future AI laws protect fundamental rights.
The EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) will hold an online webinar on policing during the pandemic.
How can we balance the importance of promoting technological, economic and social innovation with the need to protect individuals and society from its potentially harmful effects? This is one of the areas that will be explored during a high-level virtual event on 14 December on doing artificial intelligence the European way.
On 4 December, at the Annual Dialogue with the European Committee of the Regions in the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs, FRA presented the findings from its report on the integration of young refugees.
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On 9 December, FRA held an inception meeting with the contractor developing a trainers manual on Guardianship. The manual shall provide trainers with the content and methodology they need to train appointed or future guardians on the fundamental rights of children and the role of the guardians.
On 8 December, FRA took part in the panel discussion on the use of AI in the field of criminal law. This was part of the online conference on digitalisation of justice – interconnection and innovation. The event was part of Germany's EU Council Presidency.
A workshop on 3 December looked at how to ensure the best interests of the child when monitoring forced returns that involve children. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and FRA jointly organised the online workshop. It was attended by 50 people from 21 different Member States.
FRA’s Director joined the 7th Glion Human Rights Dialogue 2020 on 3 and 4 December. The high-level online event brought together over 100 human rights practitioners and experts.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic leaves a lasting mark on society worldwide. It affected everyone but some people more than others. As we look ahead, on Human Rights Day, on 10 December, we need to make the new normal a better normal. In his video message, FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty underlines the need to stand up for human rights to make 2021 a better year. This means ensuring we respect and take into account everybody's 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.