The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted, on 13 September 2006, its report on the Commission proposal to establish a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
The Committee proposes to extend the mandate of the future EU fundamental rights agency to cover intergovernmental co-operation on policing, justice, immigration and counter-terrorism issues. It also wants it to cover not only human-rights issues in the present member states but also in candidate countries and in countries with which the EU has concluded stabilisation and association agreements (SAA). The Committee also recommends strengthening Parliament's involvement with the future agency.
The Agency for Fundamental Rights will replace the existing European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). It is set to gather information, issue annual reports and give advice to the EU and member states on proposed legislation. It is designed to complement the work of the Council of Europe and to co-ordinate the activities of national human rights bodies. The agency will not, however, take up individual cases.
The agency could be ready to start functioning on 1 January 2007.
