Highlights

  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    8
    October
    2025
    The Entry/Exit System (EES), launching in 2025, will register non-EU nationals crossing the EU’s external borders. This FRA guidance helps border guards apply the new rules in line with EU fundamental rights. It offers practical tips on informing people, collecting biometric data and supporting people with specific needs. Based on fieldwork at 10 border crossing points in 6 Member States, the guidance will ensure rights are respected under the new system. A separate guidance publication for managers accompanies this publication.
  • Opinion / Position Paper
    23
    July
    2025
    This position paper examines how the EU can counter the instrumentalisation of migrants while also upholding fundamental rights. Instrumentalisation refers to countries outside the EU using migration to exert political pressure. This position paper defines the phenomenon, provides examples, and outlines legal obligations under EU law. It provides legal analysis and warns that some responses risk undermining fundamental rights at the EU’s external borders, including the right to asylum. To counter instrumentalisation and uphold fundamental rights, the position paper proposes practical measures for Member States to take, such as sanctions, border controls, and cooperation with private operators.
  • Periodic updates / Series
    20
    June
    2025
    The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights regularly collects data on the operations of NGO vessels involved in search and rescue in the Mediterranean. This includes any legal proceedings against them, as well as any difficulties in disembarking migrants in safe ports. This paper provides an overview of criminal investigations and other legal proceedings initiated by European Union (EU) Member States against civil society organisations deploying search and rescue vessels and aircraft in the Mediterranean and/or against individual crew members. The latest update covers the period from 2018 up until 1 June 2025.
  • Page
    This page describes the activities of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on migration and asylum. It also explains how these activities can help the European Union (EU) and its Member States to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum in a fundamental rights-compliant manner.
    Produtos
    21
    June
    2018
    The EU Return Directive (2008/115/EC) in Article 8 (6) introduced an important fundamental rights safeguard for third-country nationals ordered to leave the EU because they do not or no longer fulfil the conditions for entry and/or stay. According to the Directive, Member States must provide for an effective forced-return monitoring system.
    15
    June
    2018
    The stories of the domestic workers FRA interviewed for this paper reveal appalling working conditions and fundamental rights abuses in private homes across the EU. These stories indicate that, seven years on from FRA’s first report on domestic workers in 2011, little has changed in terms of the risks and experiences of severe labour exploitation domestic workers in the EU face.
    6
    June
    2018
    The year 2017 brought both progress and setbacks in terms of rights protection. The European Pillar of Social Rights marked an important move towards a more ‘social Europe’. But, as experiences with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights underscore, agreement on a text is merely a first step. Even in its eighth year as the EU's binding bill of rights, the Charter's potential was not fully exploited, highlighting the need to more actively promote its use.
    6
    June
    2018
    O ano de 2017 trouxe avanços e retrocessos no âmbito da proteção dos direitos fundamentais. O Relatório sobre os Direitos Fundamentais 2018 da FRA analisa os principais desenvolvimentos neste domínio, identificando tanto as realizações quanto os problemas que persistem.
    Periodic updates / Series
    28
    May
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. This report focuses on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. This report addresses fundamental rights concerns between 1 March-30 April 2018.
    17
    May
    2018
    As organizações da sociedade civil da União Europeia desempenham um papel crucial na promoção dos direitos fundamentais, mas tornou-se mais difícil efetuar essa promoção, devido
    a restrições jurídicas e práticas. Embora existam desafios em todos os Estados-Membros da UE, a sua natureza e dimensão exatas variam. De um modo geral, faltam dados e investigação
    sobre esta questão ― incluindo investigação comparativa.
    O relatório da FRA analisa, por conseguinte, os diferentes tipos e padrões de desafios enfrentados pelas organizações da sociedade civil que trabalham no domínio dos direitos humanos na UE. Também destaca práticas promissoras que podem contrariar esses padrões preocupantes.
    25
    April
    2018
    The methods used to determine the age of
    an applicant may include “invasive” medical tests which interfere with the rights of the child, including their right to dignity,
    integrity and privacy. It is often a challenge to find the right balance between protecting children from harm and promoting
    their participation in these procedures. This report provides important insights and identifies the implications of collecting
    children’s biometric data and conducting age assessments.
    19
    April
    2018
    This Opinion by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) aims to inform the European Parliament position concerning legislative proposals on interoperability between EU information technology systems (IT systems) presented on 12 December 2017 and currently discussed by the EU legislators.
    28
    March
    2018
    This report outlines the fundamental rights implications of collecting, storing and using
    biometric and other data in EU IT systems in the area of asylum and migration.
    Periodic updates / Series
    26
    March
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. These focus on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered are: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
    This infographic illustrates the positive and negative impact on fundamental rights of using large-scale IT systems for security and border management.
    Periodic updates / Series
    26
    February
    2018
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has been collecting relevant data since September 2015. These focus on the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in Member States particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered are: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
    For the past two years, FRA has been visiting reception centres for migrants across the EU.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    5
    February
    2018
    This focus report assesses how the presence of
    large numbers of persons in need of international
    protection affects local communities in terms of
    housing, education, the local economy and social
    responses.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    5
    February
    2018
    EU Member States’ legal and practical responses to migrants and refugees implicate several of their fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU). The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has regularly reported on these issues since September 2015. This report highlights key trends and persistent concerns between October 2016 and December 2017. It focuses on five areas: access to territory, reception conditions, asylum procedures, unaccompanied children and immigration detention.
    16
    January
    2018
    Guardians are a key element of a protection system for children who are temporarily or
    permanently deprived of their family environment and cannot have their interests represented
    by their parents. Great disparities exist between the types of guardianship provided
    to children in and within European Union (EU) Member States. This report explores the key
    features of guardianship systems put in place to cater for the needs of all children in need
    of protection, including child victims and those at risk of becoming victims of trafficking in
    human beings or of other forms of exploitation.
    Easy-to-read report
    3
    January
    2018
    More than 20 million immigrants lived in the European Union in 2016. This means that 1 person in 25 was an immigrant. Having more immigrants and refugees makes it even more important for the governments to have plans to help them to integrate.
    This survey involved interviews with 25,515 people with different ethnic minority and immigrant backgrounds across 28 EU countries. It explores issues concerning discrimination as well as experiences of harassment, hate-motivated violence and discriminatory profiling.
    This infographic illustrates the main experiences immigrants and ethnic minorities across the EU have when it comes to discrimination. It draws from the findings from FRA's EU-MIDIS II survey.
    This infographic illustrates the main experiences immigrants and ethnic minorities across the EU have when it comes to victimisation. It draws from the findings from FRA's EU-MIDIS II survey.