In the Stockholm Programme – ‘An open and secure Europe serving and protecting citizens’, adopted in 2010, the European Council invited the EU institutions to “make full use of the expertise of the FRA, and to consult, where appropriate, with the Agency, in line with its mandate, on the development of policies and legislation with implications for fundamental rights”. This call has also been reinforced in the Strategic guidelines in the area of freedom, security and justice on June 2015, where the European Council invited EU Institutions and Member States to “mobilise the expertise of relevant EU agencies, among them FRA.
FRA may issue opinions and conclusions to EU institutions and Member States on specific thematic topics. Moreover, the European Parliament, Council or Commission can request the agency to deliver opinions on EU legislative proposals “as far as their compatibility with fundamental rights are concerned”. This specific task contributes to the agency’s overall objective to support EU institutions and Member States to fully respect fundamental rights.
The FRA maintains particularly close links with the following:
