FRA,.2016
29
November
2016

FRA Opinion on fundamental rights in the 'hotspots' set up in Greece and Italy

Without being exhaustive, this opinion discusses selected topics which touch certain Charter rights, identifying the challenges and describing measures that could be taken to mitigate the risk of actions, which are not compliant with the Charter. It does not focus exclusively on risks arising in direct relation to the involvement of EU actors on the ground, but also takes into account that the hotspot approach entails a certain share of responsibility of the EU for the situation in the hotspots overall.

Given that the majority of practical experience with the operation of the hotspots was collected during FRA’s field presence in Greece, this opinion is based to a great extent on FRA observations. These are complemented by desk research and findings from FRA missions to Italy. The advice provided therein is conceived in a manner as to be valid for the hotspots in both countries, or indeed for any potential similar operation elsewhere in Europe in the future. The opinion covers the following:

  1. Access to international protection
  2. Rights of the child(link is external)
  3. Identification of vulnerabilities
  4. Safety for all persons in the hotspots
  5. Readmissions