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Fundamental Rights Agency

Fundametnal Rights Agency

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is a body of the European Union (EU) that was established in February 2007.
It is based in Vienna and is being built on the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). The FRA is an independent body that cooperates with other national and international bodies and organisations, in particular with the Council of Europe.

The objective of the Agency is to provide assistance and expertise relating to fundamental rights to institutions and authorities of the Community when they implement Community law (Article 2 of the Regulation).
The fundamental rights referred to in Article 6(2) TEU, as reflected in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the ECHR, are the point of reference for the mandate of the Agency. The thematic areas of activity are laid down in a Multi-annual Framework that was adopted by the Council of the European Union in 2008. The thematic areas are: (1) the fight against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, (2) discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and against persons belonging to minorities and any combination of these grounds (multiple discrimination), (3) compensation of victims, (4) the rights of the child, including protection, (5) asylum, immigration and integration of migrants, (6) visa and border control, (7) Participation of the citizens of the Union in the Union’s democratic functioning, (8) Information society and, in particular, respect for private life and protection of personal data, and (9) access to efficient and independent justice.

The Agency comprises the Management Board (one independent person with knowledge in fundamental rights and management experience from each Member State, one independent person appointed by the Council of Europe and two Commission representatives), the Executive Board (preparing the decisions of the Management Board), the Scientific Committee (consisting of eleven highly-qualified independent persons to guarantee scientific quality of the work); and the Director (executing the Agency’s tasks and appointing its staff).

The Agency cooperates with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Fundamental and Human Rights in various areas, to find out more about this cooperation, please select one of the areas in the left menu.

The EU and Human Rights: Eamon Gilmore and Michael O'Flaherty in Conversation

The EU and Human Rights (c) FRA Konstantina Stavrou

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, Eamon Gilmore, European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, and Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, talked on “The EU and Human Rights” on December 10th, 2109. The event was organised by Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and supported by the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Publication: Human Rights Law and Evidence-Based Policy: The Impact of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency

Human Rights Law and Evidence-Based Policy

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) was established to provide evidence-based policy advice to EU institutions and Member States. By blending social science research with traditional normative work, it aims to influence human rights policy processes through new ways of framing empirical realities. The contributors to this volume critically examine the experience of the Agency in its first decade, exploring FRA’s historical, political and legal foundations and its evolving record across major strands of EU fundamental rights.

“The EU and Human Rights – Eamon Gilmore and Michael O’Flaherty in Conversation”

EU and Human Rights

The European Union is a key actor in the field of human rights, setting global standards for policy-making and implementation. Yet, the EU faces a variety of human rights-related challenges both internally and externally, be it in terms of asylum law, the freedom of speech or social, cultural and economic rights. How are these and other issues connected to changes in the political landscape, and how can we address them in order to strengthen human rights in Europe, in the European Neighbourhood, and elsewhere?

Details
Location: 
Haus der EU, Wipplingerstraße 35, 1010 Wien

FRA Fundamental Rights Forum: Securing social rights through equal opportunities and access to the labour market

70 Years Human Rights

On 26. September 2018, Manfred Nowak (BIM) and Karin Lukas (BIM) take part in the FRA Fundamental Rights Forum as panelists in the working group on "securing social rights through equal opportunities and access to the labour market". Other experts include Nikita Sanaullah (European Youth Forum), Ursula Till-Tentschert and Andrey Ivanov (both FRA).

Details
Location: 
META Stadt, Dr.-Otto-Neurath-Gasse 3, 1220 Wien

3rd meeting of experts and stakeholders on European Union Fundamental Rights Information System (EFRIS)

From 22 to 23 March 2018, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will host its third expert meeting on developing an online tool on EU Member States’ compliance with international human rights law and fundamental rights. Moritz Birk (BIM) will attend to the panel.

Details
Location: 
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Schwarzenbergplatz 11, 1040 Vienna, Austria

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