Civil society organisations struggle to maintain an environment safe from threats and attacks. FRA’s sixth annual update on civic space explores the challenges for organisations across the EU. While there has been significant development since FRA began monitoring the situation in 2018, civil society organisations remain under immense pressure. Abusive lawsuits and attacks against those involved in migrant search and rescue at sea are just some of the challenges identified. This report presents ways forward to protect civil society and human rights.
This report examines the EU’s main criminal law instrument in the
field of counter-terrorism, Directive (EU) 2017/541. Specifically, it
considers how the directive engages issues of fundamental rights,
affecting individuals, groups and society as a whole.
This report outlines to what extent legal aid is available to those held in pre-removal detention in the 27 EU Member States, and in North Macedonia and Serbia, during procedures related to their return. These involve decisions on return, on detention pending removal, the removal itself and on bans on entry. The report also examines when people are entitled to free legal aid and how this aid is funded, as well as who provides representation and various factors that limit the scope of legal aid.
Since September 2020, three National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) had a change in their accreditation status, two new institutions were created and nine have had a change in tasks covered by their mandates. Following up on the September 2020 report “Strong and effective national human rights institutions – challenges, promising practices and opportunities”, this update provides an overview of developments in the accreditation status and mandates of NHRIS in the past 12 months. The update covers the 27 EU Member States as well as three additional states within FRA’s mandate (Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia).
Civil society organisations play a vital role in promoting fundamental rights, but they face diverse challenges across the European Union. This report presents FRA’s findings on a range of such challenges. The findings are based on research, and on two online consultations with civil society organisations, carried out in 2020.
FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2021 reviews major developments in the field in 2020, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions. This year’s focus chapter explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fundamental rights. The remaining chapters cover: the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; Roma equality and inclusion; asylum, borders and migration; information society, privacy and data protection; rights of the child; access to justice; and the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a role in deciding what unemployment benefits someone gets, where a burglary is likely to take place, whether someone is at risk of cancer, or who sees that catchy advertisement for low mortgage rates. Its use keeps growing, presenting seemingly endless possibilities. But we need to make sure to fully uphold fundamental rights standards when using AI. This report presents concrete examples of how companies and public administrations in the EU are using, or trying to use, AI. It focuses on four core areas – social benefits, predictive policing, health services and targeted advertising.
This report outlines some of the measures EU Member States have put in place to protect public health as Europe faces the ‘second wave’ of the Coronavirus pandemic. It highlights how these may affect fundamental rights, especially social rights.
Business activity affects not just customers, employees, and contractors along supply chains, but often entire communities and the environment. This makes it vital that every business complies with human rights. This comparative report looks at the realities victims face when they seek redress for business-related human rights abuses. It presents the findings of fieldwork research on the views of professionals regarding the different ways people can pursue complaints. The findings highlight that obstacles to achieving justice are often multi-layered.
National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) are a vital part of the country-level human rights protection system. This report, published 10 years after FRA’s first in-depth study on NHRIs, looks at such bodies in the EU, as well as the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It explores relevant developments, challenges to their effectiveness and ways to maximise their impact.
As we enter the second half of 2020, the constraints on our daily lives
brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic have become a firm reality.
New local lockdowns and the reintroduction of restrictive measures
prompted by fresh outbreaks of the virus are a stark reminder that
COVID-19 continues to shape our lives – and our enjoyment of fundamental
rights – in profound ways. There is compelling evidence of how the
pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges in our societies. This FRA
Bulletin outlines some of the measures EU Member States adopted to
safely reopen their societies and economies while continuing to mitigate
the spread of COVID-19. It highlights the impact these measures may have
on civil, political and socioeconomic rights.
This paper presents key findings from FRA’s second
consultation of its Fundamental Rights Platform,
focusing on the experiences of civil society
organisations (CSOs) working on human rights.
FRA started an annual consultation with organisations
participating in its platform in 2018.
The Coronavirus pandemic continues to interrupt everyday life in the EU
in unprecedented ways. But the way it affects our societies is shifting.
As governments gradually lift some of the measures put in place to
contain the spread of COVID-19, new fundamental rights concerns arise:
how to ensure that the rights to life and health are upheld as daily life
transitions to a ‘new normal’. This Bulletin looks at declarations of states of
emergency, or equivalent, and how they came under scrutiny. It considers
the impact on fundamental rights in important areas of daily life, and
includes a thematic focus on the pandemic's impact on older people
FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020 reviews major developments in the field in 2019, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions. This year’s focus chapter explores how to unlock the full potential of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Coronavirus pandemic continues to interrupt everyday life in the EU
in unprecedented ways. But the way it affects our societies is shifting. As
governments gradually lift some of the measures put in place to contain the
spread of COVID-19, new fundamental rights concerns arise: how to ensure that
the rights to life and health are upheld as daily life transitions to a ‘new normal’.
This Bulletin looks at declarations of states of emergency, or equivalent, and
how they came under scrutiny. It considers the impact on fundamental rights in
important areas of daily life, and includes a thematic focus on the processing of
users’ data to help contain COVID-19, particularly by contact-tracing apps. It covers the period 21 March – 30 April 2020.
Zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen spielen in Demokratien eine entscheidende Rolle, und
die Bedeutung ihrer Arbeit wird in internationalen rechtlichen und politischen Dokumenten
weithin anerkannt. Sie sind jedoch in ihrer täglichen Arbeit mit zahlreichen Hindernissen
konfrontiert. Das vorliegende Dokument ergänzt den Bericht vom Januar 2018 auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse
einer Online-Konsultation, die im September 2018 mit der Plattform für Grundrechte durchgeführt wurde.
Civil society organisations play a critical role in democracies, and the importance of their work is widely recognised in international legal and policy documents. However, they face many obstacles when it comes to their day-to-day work. Based on the results of an online consultation with FRA's civil society network, the Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP), in September 2018, this paper complements the January 2018 report.
Les organisations de la société civile (OSC) jouent un rôle essentiel dans les démocraties
et l’importance de leur travail est largement reconnue dans les documents juridiques et
politiques internationaux. Toutefois, elles sont confrontées à de nombreux obstacles dans
leur travail quotidien. Sur la base des résultats d’une consultation en ligne réalisée avec la FRP en septembre 2018,
le présent document complète le rapport de janvier 2018.
Civil society organisations in the European Union play a crucial role in promoting fundamental rights, but it has become harder for them to do so – due to both legal and practical restrictions. This report looks at the different types and patterns of challenges faced by civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU.
Während das Bewusstsein für die Rechte von lesbischen, schwulen, bisexuellen, transsexuellen und intersexuellen
(LGBTI-)Personen in der Europäischen Union (EU) zunimmt, gibt es nach wie vor Hürden, die LGBTI daran hindern,
ihre Grundrechte in vollem Umfang wahrzunehmen. Dieser Bericht stellt eine Aktualisierung der vergleichenden
rechtlichen Analyse der FRA zum Thema Diskriminierung aufgrund der sexuellen Ausrichtung und Geschlechtsidentität
aus dem Jahr 2010 dar: Homophobie, Transphobie und Diskriminierung aufgrund der sexuellen Ausrichtung und der
Geschlechtsidentität.