The Brussels Office of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated in a meeting of the European Parliament’s (EP) Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) held in Brussels.
At the meeting, which ABTTF attended as part of its activities in Brussels, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights’ (FRA) Fundamental Rights Report 2025 was presented. The report assesses the current state of fundamental rights in the European Union, focusing in particular on the impacts of digitalisation on fundamental rights, the housing crisis and rising homelessness, the challenges faced by third country nationals in the labour market, and the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
FRA Director Sirpa Rautio, who presented the report, noted that although 25 years have passed since the adoption of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the gap between the European Union’s founding values and the protective mechanisms in practice is widening.
Noting that the report focuses on common structural issues in the areas of internal security, migration, and discrimination, Rautio observed that while artificial intelligence and digitalisation offer opportunities, there has also been an increase in hate speech online. Rautio also indicated that FRA regularly monitors and reports on increasing pressures and funding cuts targeting civil society organisations, adding that cooperation with EU institutions would be further strengthened through FRA’s office in Brussels.
Following the presentation, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) posed questions regarding the practical implications of the fundamental values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union, as well as the role of FRA and the expansion of its mandate in ensuring Member States’ compliance with EU law. Reminding that they were closely monitoring political developments in Europe and restrictions on civil society organisations, Rautio expressed FRA’s determination to continue supporting civil society as an independent organisation.
