European Union's Fundamental Rights Agency Executive Board (FRA)
September 11th & 12th
NUIM hosts Meeting of the European Union's Human Rights Body.
A meeting of the Fundamental Rights’ Agency (FRA) (based in Vienna) Executive Board takes place at NUIM on September 11th followed by an Irish Roundtable on September 12th.
Members from Austria, Italy, Latvia, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Agency's staff will be in attendance to discuss priorities for the new Agency in the years ahead. FRA is chaired by Irishwoman Anastasia Crickley, also NCCRI Chairperson and Head of Department of Applied Social Studies at NUIM.
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights was built on the former European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). It continues the work of the EUMC in the area of racism, xenophobia and related intolerances, but in the context of the much broader mandate of the FRA. The new thematic areas of operation of the FRA have been set out in the Agency’s Multi-annual Framework (MAF), adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union on 28 February 2008. The Council’s Decision means that the Agency will now work in the following areas:
- racism, xenophobia and related intolerances;
- discrimination based on sex, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and against persons belonging to minorities and any combination of these grounds (multiple discrimination);
- compensation of victims
- the rights of the child, including the protection of children;
- asylum immigration and integration of migrants;
- visa and border control;
- participation of the EU citizens in the Union’s democratic functioning;
- information society and, in particular, respect for private life and protection of personal data; and
- access to efficient and independent justice.
- In its Regulation, the remit of the Agency is described as to:
- Collecting data and information;
- Improving the comparability and reliability of data;
- Undertaking research and analysis;
- Formulating conclusions and opinions for the EU institutions and Member States;
- Cooperating with civil society and raising awareness of fundamental rights.
Annual Report 2008 is Available on the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency Website: http://fra.europa.eu/fra/material/pub/ar08/ar08_en.pdf
