EU rights body warns against 'complacency'
(VIENNA) - The eurozone crisis must not distract Europe from human rights, with the next few months crucial for agreeing common asylum, disability and data protection policy, the bloc's rights agency said Wednesday.
"In these difficult economic times, the EU must guarantee more than ever that there is no rollback on fundamental rights protection," European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) head Ilze Brands Kehris said in a statement.
"There is no time for complacency," Kehris said, according to prepared remarks due to made to the European Parliament later Wednesday as the Vienna-based advisory body presents its annual report for 2011.
According to this report, the next few months are "crucial" for discussions at EU level on agreeing new common rules for asylum seekers and for the implementation of a new convention on rights for people with disabilities.
Another area needing further discussion is the contentious relationship between security concerns and the safeguarding of EU citizens' personal information in light of new EU data protection framework, the report said.
It added that in 2011, the EU adopted key legislative and policy measures in victim protection, human trafficking and the integration of Roma, while various members reformed child protection systems and moved to shorten court proceedings.
"Challenges, however, remain. The year 2011 sent stark and tragic reminders of how far the excesses of extreme intolerance can go if left unchecked," the report said.
"Equality and non-discrimination will therefore remain core concerns. The EU and its member states must also remain on guard to ensure that prevailing economic weakness does not threaten the fulfilment of the fundamental rights of EU citizens."