Newsroom

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A selection of speeches and keynote addresses from the Fundamental Rights Conference 2010.
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Children present the results of a workshop organised by the FRA in cooperation with Eurochild at the Fundamental Rights Conference 2010 in Brussels.
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Around 2,500 youngsters took part in the 2010 Diversity Day in Vienna.
The practice of 'phallometric testing' consists in verifying the physical reaction to heterosexual pornographic material of gay men who have filed a claim for asylum on the basis of homosexual orientation. The test is performed by a professional sexologist and, in principle, only with the person's written consent, and once that person has been informed about the technique of the examination. This raises serious questions regarding the compliance of this practice with existing human rights standards.
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The FRA has published two new reports to coincide with the first day of its annual Fundamental Rights Conference which this year looks into ensuring justice and protection for children.
Press Release
On World AIDS Day 2010, FRA Director Morten Kjaerum emphasises the importance of taking a rights-based approach to responding to HIV and AIDS. 
Today the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) presents its report on Homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity to Members of the European Parliament. The FRA report reveals that in some EU Member States, legislation and practice is increasing the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, while in others the rights of LGBT persons are being restricted or neglected. This creates an uneven landscape in the protection of LGBT rights throughout Europe.
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Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, delivered this video address to the conference on "Implementing fundamental rights at the local and regional level following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty".
Press Release
On 24 November, the topics of diversity and equal opportunities will take centre stage at the Vienna Town Hall. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is organising Diversity Day for the fourth time in cooperation with the City of Vienna (Youth Department) and the Vienna School Board.
The European Institute for Gender Equality and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights sign a cooperation agreement in line with the new EU strategy for gender equality 2010-2015.
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Joint statement ahead of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by the FRA and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
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The FRA participates in the Fourth Equality Summit held in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2010. This Summit is an annual, high-level event focusing on equality. This year the event will concentrate on combating discrimination and promoting equality in employment.
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To mark this year's anniversary of "the night of the broken glass", the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) publishes a handbook for teachers: Excursion to the past - teaching for the future. The handbook emphasises the link between teaching about the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes, and teaching about human rights and democracy. Teachers and guides of memorial sites or museums are key to ensuring that the connection is recognised between Holocaust and human rights education. However, there is a lack of human rights training available for both groups. The FRA thus encourages national governments to better integrate education on the Holocaust and human rights into their school curricula to reflect the significance of human rights in both the history and the future of the EU.
Press Release
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has today published a report on the right to political participation of persons with mental health problems and persons with intellectual disabilities in the European Union (EU). The right to vote is a fundamental right of all EU citizens. However, in some Member States persons with mental health problems and persons with intellectual disabilities are discriminated against, since they are not granted this right.
The FRA will today present its new report on racism, ethnic discrimination and the exclusion of migrants and minorities in sport in the European Union. Delegates at the 16th European Fair Play Congress in Prague will discuss the report's findings, including the need to make sport more inclusive and ways of addressing the underrepresentation of persons belonging to minorities in sport. The FRA report also highlights the lack of data available showing the occurrence of racist incidents in sport. It emphasises the need to develop effective ways of monitoring such incidents among players, referees and club officials, as well as between or by fans.
Press Release
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is publishing results from a survey of 3,000 Muslim and non-Muslim young people about their experiences of and attitudes towards discrimination, social marginalisation and violence. The results indicate that in the three Member States where the survey took place (France, Spain and the United Kingdom) most young people - regardless of their religious background - do not support violence. On the other hand, those young people who have been victims of discrimination or violence are at greater risk of engaging in violence themselves.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is publishing today, at a Symposium of the European Police College (CEPOL), results from the first ever EU-wide survey on police stops and minorities. The findings show that minorities who perceive they are stopped because of their minority background have a lower level of trust in the police. The results from the FRA's survey are launched together with the FRA Guide on discriminatory ethnic profiling.
Press Release
Visit our new revamped Diversity Day Web siteThe European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (the FRA) brings you the Diversity Day 2010 Web site, a site dedicated to the youth event organised by the FRA to promote diversity among young people in Europe.http://www.diversityday.eu/index_en.htmlThe site is available in English and German.
Press Release
Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA): asylum procedures should be harmonised and improved - EU Ministerial Conference on Asylum on 13-14 September, Brussels Substantial differences exist between the asylum procedures in the 27 EU Member States, creating an uneven playing field. For the first time, EU research provides evidence about asylum-seekers' own experiences across the EU. The findings of the research will inform discussions at the ministerial conference on asylum.
Press Release
Currently, there is much debate about the position of the Roma, both living in their country of origin or in another EU Member State. The Fundamental Rights Agency is mandated to provide evidence-based advice to decision-makers in the EU. The Agency's evidence aims at informing EU and national policy-makers and contextualising debates on fundamental rights in the European Union.