EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)

Infobox European Union Agency
name=European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

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x=132
y=157
location=
pillar=European Communities
signdate=
establish=2007
director=Morten Kjaerum
website= [http://fra.europa.eu/ fra.europa.eu] The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is a Vienna-based agency of the European Union inaugurated on 1 March 2007. It was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 of 15 February 2007 as the successor to the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).

Mandate

Its mandate is "collecting and analysing data on fundamental rights with reference to, in principle, all rights listed in the Charter"; however, it is intended to focus particularly on "the thematic areas within the scope of Union law". [ [http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/rights/doc/com_2005_280_en.pdf Commission proposal] ec.europa.eu] This is an expansion upon the scope of the present EUMC, which is restricted to issues of racism and xenophobia.

Like the previous EUMC, its primary methods of operation are investigation, reports, provision of expert assistance to EU bodies, member states, and EU candidate countries and potential candidate countries, and the education of the public, as well as strengthened dialogue with civil societz organisations. It is not intended to intervene in individual cases - that being the remit of the European Court of Human Rights - but rather investigate broad issues and trends, and advising EU institutions and EU Member States.

The European Parliament tasked the agency to continue research started by MEPs into homophobia in Poland. [ [http://euobserver.com/9/23931 Polish homophobia reminiscent of Thatcher years, MEP says] euobserver.com]

FRA Publications

Annual Report 2008 (June 2008)

Situation regarding Racism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU for the year 2007 (June 2008)The report summarises the findings of the Agency’s on-going data collection through its RAXEN National Focal Points (NFPs) in each of the 27 Member States of the EU. The Annual Report gives an overview on the following themes and issues: legal and institutional initiatives against racism and discrimination; racist violence and crime; racism and discrimination and preventive initiatives in employment, education, housing and health care; developments in EU policy and legislation relevant to combating racism and xenophobia. The report concludes with the Agency’s Opinions on measures needed to combat racism and discrimination more effectively at EU level as well as at the level of Member States. The Council Regulation establishing the FRA as successor to the EUMC came into effect on 1 March 2007. Until the adoption of the Agency’s first Multiannual Framework in February 2008, FRA continued to carry out its tasks in the thematic areas of the fight against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. http://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php?fuseaction=content.dsp_cat_content&catid=4860badc7f081

Report on Homophobia in the EU (June 2008)

FRA published a report on homophobia end June 2008. The report highlights the legal framework on LGBT issues across the EU Member States and advocates a new, horizontal EU Directive on discrimination.FRA’s Legal analysis is the first of two reports related to homophobia and discrimination experienced by members of the LGBT community. The second report detailing the social aspects will be released in autumn.

Magazine Equal Voices

http://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php?fuseaction=content.dsp_cat_content&catid=3d938674101aa

Previous work of the EUMC

The "European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia" was also based in Vienna. It grew from the Commission on Racism and Xenophobia (CRX), established in 1994, and also known as the Kahn Commission. In 1995, the Kahn the CRX was transformed into the EUMC in June 1998; officially established by Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 of 2 June 1997.

Report into rise in antisemitic attacks in the EU

In 2003 a report labelled 'Manifestations of antisemitism in the EU 2002 – 2003' [http://www.eumc.eu.int/eumc/index.php?fuseaction=content.dsp_cat_content&catid=3fb38ad3e22bb&contentid=4146a7b291fff] was published. It detailed a rise in attacks targeting Jewish businesses, synagogues, cemeteries and Jews themselves. The countries with the most significant number of attacks were Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

Report into Islamophobia in the EU following 9/11

The largest monitoring project ever to be commissioned into Islamophobia was undertaken following 9/11 by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).

From a total of 75 reports, 15 from each member state, a synthesis report was published in May 2002. Entitled "Summary report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001" it was co-authored by Chris Allen [http://www.chris-allen.co.uk] and Professor Jørgen S. Nielsen at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The report highlighted occasions in which citizens abused and sometimes violently attacked Muslims. Discrimination included verbal abuse, indiscriminately accusing Muslims of responsibility for the attacks, removing women's hijab, spitting, using the name "Usama" as a pejorative epithet, and assaults.

The report concluded that "a greater receptivity towards anti-Muslim and other xenophobic ideas and sentiments has, and may well continue, to become more tolerated." [ALLEN, C. & NIELSEN, J. (2002) Summary report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001. Vienna: European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.] However, everz annual report covers, amongst other, the issue of antisemitism.

ee also

*Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
*European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom & Security
*European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities
*Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
*Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
*European Court of Justice
*European Court of Human Rights
*European Convention on Human Rights

External links

* [http://fra.europa.eu Agency website] europa.eu
* [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/89&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en The European Fundamental Rights Agency comes into existence on 1 March 2007]
* [http://www.swp-berlin.org/en/produkte/swp_aktuell_detail.php?id=7060 The EU Fundamental Rights Agency: Satellite or Guiding Star? Raison d'etre, tasks and challenges of the EU's new agency] Details and analysis by Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
* [http://fra.europa.eu/eumc/material/pub/FRA/reg_168-2007_en.pdf Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 of 15 February 2007] fra.europa.eu

References