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.