Human rights considerations are still too often overlooked in lawmaking across the EU, finds a new report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Despite the binding force of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, only a few EU Member States have guidelines to assess human rights impacts when implementing EU law. Even fewer explicitly reference the Charter in such guidelines. The report comes as the EU intensifies efforts to streamline its regulatory framework through “Omnibus” reforms to boost competitiveness. In this context, the report stresses that fundamental rights impact assessments are essential to protect people and ensure compliance with the law – without compromising the goals of simplification and efficiency.