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European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights - briefing

20 October 2009, 16:12 CET

Opened on 1 March 2007, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is a body of the European Union (EU) based in Vienna.

The Agency provides the relevant institutions and authorities of the Community and its Member States when implementing Community law with assistance and expertise relating to fundamental rights in order to support them when they take measures or formulate courses of action within their respective spheres of competence to fully respect fundamental rights.

Geographical scope
The Agency focuses on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU and its 27 Member States. Candidate Countries and countries which have concluded a stabilisation and association agreement with the EU can be invited to participate following a special procedure.

Organisation

FRA carries out its tasks independently. The organisation of the Agency is based on 4 bodies: the Director, the Management Board, the Executive Board and the Scientific Committee.

Activities

FRA collects information and data on fundamental rights, provides advice to the EU and its member states and promote dialogue with civil society in order to raise public awareness of fundamental rights. The Agency's thematic areas of work have been determined through a five-year Multiannual Framework adopted for the year 2007-2012. [ Read more ]

Cooperation

The Agency is working closely with other institutions and bodies, operating at both the national and European level, and is developing a fruitful cooperation with the Council of Europe and other relevant organisations working in the field of fundamental rights. [ Read more ]

Key documents

FRA key documents and its rules regarding public access to documents. [ ]

Origins

FRA has been built upon the former European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Working between 1997 and February 2007, the EUMC provided the Community and its Member States with objective, reliable and comparable information and data on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism in the EU. [ Read more ]

Source: The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

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