About: Fundamental rights Archives

The EU's commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, Viviane Reding, reassured her staff that the European Commission will remain in the driving seat in communicating Europe but not without citizens, sources told EURACTIV after an in-house presentation on Friday (12 February).

Reinforcing citizens' rights will be a top priority in the coming years, said Viviane Reding, the EU's commissioner-designate for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, at a parliamentary hearing yesterday (12 January), voicing her opposition to body scanners at airports.

The European Parliament has reminded Commission President José Manuel Barroso of his commitment to put forward a directive outlawing discrimination on a whole range of grounds, including disability, age, religion or belief and sexual orientation, as Brussels finalises preparations for a social policy package to be presented in June. 

The Commission, Parliament and Council presidents on Wednesday (12 December) solemnly proclaimed The Charter of Fundamental Rights in the European assembly in Strasbourg, amid shouts from Eurosceptic MEPs.

For the first time, the European Communities have signed a human-rights charter, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But, in a last-minute move, the Commission refrained from signing an additional Protocol establishing a complaints procedure, which some member states consider too far-reaching.

The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), focusing primarily on the areas of racism and discrimination and formally opened on 1 March 2007 in Vienna, has been criticised as being "a superfluous institution with a limited mandate".

EU citizens suspected of petty crimes in another Member State would be allowed to return to their home countries to avoid overcrowding prisons, according to a Commission proposal.
 

The Commission has launched its first comprehensive strategy to strengthen the protection of children, both within and outside the union, against neglect, paedophilia, trafficking, sex tourism, and forced labour.

Commissioner Frattini supports the Council of Europe's (CoE) appeal to its member states to better respect the fundamental rights of suspects and control secret services in the fight against terrorism.

Introducing detailed proposals for a European fundamental rights agency, Justice Commissioner Frattini said that "fundamental rights are at the core of the European Union’s values".

Under a proposal outlined by EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, suspects in criminal proceedings would be guaranteed common basic rights across the European Union.

At an informal meeting of the Justice and Home
Affairs Council on 28 January, EU ministers will discuss asylum and
aspects of the exchange of data on criminal law.

The first annual report by the EU's independent expert group on fundamental rights highlights the often unsatisfactory conditions in EU prisons and warns that counter-terror measures must not lead to discrimination.

The EU's controversial Charter of Fundamental Rights was adopted in the European parliament on Monday 2 October

The Convention on the Charter of Fundamental Rights is under fire from UK and German employers organisations.

Social NGOs and Unions expressed their disappointment with the proposed draft Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The draft Charter of Fundamental Rights is "the foundation for an EU superstate", according to some UK political commentators.

The Convention drafting the Charter of Fundamental Rights concluded its examination of the articles on social and economic rights.

Opposition to the proposed EU Charter on Fundamental Rights is becoming more and more pronounced.