The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union (EU) published its 2020 Fundamental Rights Report on 11 June 2020. The report assesses major developments and ongoing obstacles to the protection of human rights in 2019 in EU Member States and EU candidate countries North Macedonia and Serbia.
This year’s report focuses on how to unleash the full potential of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which is legally binding for the EU Member States as well as FRA’s views with respect to related developments and evidence supporting these views. The report provides recommendations for the implementation of a series of practical actions to protect fundamental rights by EU bodies and national governments.
The report examines progress and ongoing issues with respect to fundamental rights n the EU under the headings of equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; Roma equality and inclusion; asylum, borders and migration; information society, privacy and data protection; rights of the child; access to justice and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The report indicates that discrimination and racism in the EU remain a major problem
The FRA report also refers to the latest survey from the European Commission with respect to discrimination in the EU and indicates that according to its results, those that are more prone to discrimination in the EU are members of a religious, ethnic or gender minority group along with persons with disabilities and that discrimination is happening most in public areas, at the workplace or when seeking a job.
The report also highlights that racism and prejudice are a serious problem across the EU and that the far-right trend is increasing, noting that is in previous years, many people were killed in hate-based attacks in 2019.
Indicating that a number of EU Member States, including Greece, amended their penal code in 2019 as part of the prevention of hate crime and hate speech, the report explains that a new provision added to the penal code in Greece punishes incitement to commit crimes or violence against groups or individuals based on their race, colour, ethnic origin and religion.
The report also examines the refugee and migration issue at EU borders, noting that asylum seekers and migrants were pushed back by Greece across the Evros river into Turkey. The report notes that Greece holds a significant number of unaccompanied minors in outposts and migrant detention centres, and that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that this practice is against the European Convention on Human Rights.
Please click here to reach FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020:
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2020-fundamental-rights-report-2020_en.pdf
