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Highlights

  • Report / Paper / Summary
    22
    March
    2022
    In view of the human rights situation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the large number of persons seeking protection in the European Union (EU), the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) dispatched, as a first step, a team composed of Agency staff who speak the national languages and with expertise on migration, child protection, equality and non-discrimination and Roma inclusion to observe and collect evidence on the evolving situation. The team reported daily to the EU mechanism for preparedness and crises management on migration (Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint).
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    14
    December
    2020
    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.
  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    17
    December
    2020
    The European Convention on Human Rights and European Union law provide an increasingly important framework for the protection of the rights of foreigners. European Union legislation relating to asylum, borders and immigration is developing fast. There is an impressive body of case law by the European Court of Human Rights relating in particular to Articles 3, 5, 8 and 13 of the ECHR. The Court of Justice of the European Union is increasingly asked to pronounce on the interpretation of European Union law provisions in this field. The third edition of this handbook, updated up to July 2020, presents this European Union legislation and the body of case law by the two European courts in an accessible way.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    27
    March
    2020
    Council of Europe (CoE) and European Union (EU) Member States have an undeniable sovereign right to control the entry of non-nationals into their territory. While exercising border control, states have a duty to protect the fundamental rights of all people under their jurisdiction, regardless of their nationality and/or legal status. Under EU law, this includes providing access to asylum procedures.
    PRODUKTY
    9
    October
    2015
    For asylum and return (i.e. expulsion) procedures to be implemented effectively, people need to be at the disposal of the authorities so that any measure requiring their presence can be taken without delay. To achieve this, EU Member States may decide to hold people in closed facilities. Less intrusive measures, which are usually referred to as alternatives to detention, reduce the risk that deprivation of liberty is resorted to excessively.
    Periodic updates / Series
    28
    September
    2015
    In view of the increasing numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants entering the EU, the European Commission asked FRA to collect data about the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in those Member States that have been particularly affected by large migration movements. The countries covered in 2015 are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    3
    September
    2015
    The right to health is a basic social right. However, its understanding and application differs
    across the European Union (EU) Member States, which results in different healthcare services
    being offered to migrants in an irregular situation. This summary looks into the potential costs of providing migrants in
    an irregular situation with timely access to health screening and treatment, compared to
    providing medical treatment only in emergency cases.
    3
    September
    2015
    This report aims to estimate the economic cost of providing timely access to screening and treatment for migrants in an irregular situation, compared with providing treatment only in emergency cases. It presents an economic model to calculate such costs for two medical conditions: hypertension and prenatal care. To better illustrate its application in practice, the model is applied to three European Union (EU) Member States – Germany, Greece and Sweden.
    25
    June
    2015
    European Union (EU) Member States and institutions introduced a number of legal and policy measures in 2014 to safeguard fundamental rights in the EU. Notwithstanding these efforts, a great deal remains to be done, and it can be seen that the situation in some areas is alarming: the number of migrants rescued or apprehended at sea as they were trying to reach Europe’s borders quadrupled over 2013; more than a quarter of children in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion; and an increasing number of political parties use xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric in their campaigns, potentially increasing some people’s vulnerability to becoming victims of crime or hate crime.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    19
    June
    2015
    The situation at land border crossing points into the EU has received less attention than
    Europe’s southern sea borders, where migrants’ lives are at risk. Although FRA research
    shows that land border checks of third-country nationals are generally conducted routinely
    and take place without incident, a number of challenges affect travellers’ fundamental
    rights.
    An estimated 3,280 persons died at sea in 2014 while attempting to reach a haven in Europe, and the number of those rescued or apprehended at sea quadrupled compared with 2013. The number of displaced persons worldwide reached Second World War levels in 2014. Many move on from where they first arrive, with Germany and Sweden together receiving almost half of the asylum applications submitted in the EU.
    2
    June
    2015
    Worker exploitation is not an isolated or marginal phenomenon. But despite its pervasiveness in everyday life, severe labour exploitation and its adverse effects on third-country nationals and EU citizens - as workers, but also as consumers - have to date not received much attention from researchers.
    6
    March
    2015
    Every year, tens of thousands of people risk their lives trying to enter the European Union (EU) in an irregular way, and many die in the attempt. Increasing the availability of legal avenues to reach the EU would contribute to make the right to asylum set forth in Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights a reality for vulnerable refugees and other persons in need of protection who are staying in a third country, often facing risks to their safety. It would also help to fight smuggling in human beings. This FRA focus seeks to contribute towards the elaboration of such legal entry options so that these can constitute a viable alternative to risky irregular entry.

    26
    January
    2015
    FRA was requested by the European Commission (EC) in January 2014 to provide practical guidance on the processing of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for law enforcement purposes, in light of efforts by Member States to establish national PNR systems. As a result, in informal consultation with EC services and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and building on opinions FRA, the EDPS and the Article 29 Working Party on PNR, FRA presented twelve fundamental rights considerations to EU Member States experts at technical level.
    27
    November
    2014
    The Conclusions contain suggestions and concerns voiced by participants at the conference, from plenary speakers and panellists through to members of the thematic working groups.
    This video message by UN Special Rapporteur Francois Crépeau was produced for the Fundamental Rights Conference 2014 (FRC) on Migration.
    This video message by UN High Commissioner Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein was produced for the Fundamental Rights Conference 2014 (FRC) on Migration.
    10
    November
    2014
    Together with two FRA sister reports on the
    EU’s air and southern sea borders, this report’s findings serve to inform EU and Member State practitioners and
    policy makers of fundamental rights challenges that can emerge at land borders. Increased awareness should
    also help to create a shared understanding among border guards of what fundamental obligations mean for
    their daily work, ultimately enhancing fundamental rights compliance at the EU’s external borders.
    Report / Paper / Summary
    10
    November
    2014
    The report examines the procedures for and conduct of checks that border guards carry out on third-country national passengers entering European Union (EU) territory at five international airports.
    29
    October
    2014
    Primarily using data and information collected from five EU Member States, this paper briefly describes the phenomenon of forced marriage and selected legislative measures taken to address it. It lists promising practices
    for the prevention of forced marriage and for supporting victims. The paper covers only one among many forms of violence against women analysed by FRA in its Violence against women: an EU-wide survey. Main results report (2014).
    Report / Paper / Summary
    27
    October
    2014
    This summary, and the related full report, look at how fundamental rights obligations
    translate into practical border management tasks.
    The report points out challenges as well as promising practices of integrating fundamental
    rights compliance into operational tasks that do not compromise but instead enhance the
    effectiveness of border checks.
    9
    July
    2014
    The EU and its Member States took a variety of important steps in 2013 to protect and promote fundamental rights by
    assuming
    new international commitments, revamping legislation and pursuing innovative policies on the ground. Yet, fundamental
    rights violations seized the spotlight with distressing frequency: would‑be migrants drowning off the EU’s coast,
    unprecedented mass surveillance, racist and extremist‑motivated murders, child poverty and Roma deprivation.
    30
    June
    2014
    This handbook aims to strengthen the protection of children, specifically addressing the particular needs of child victims of trafficking.