7.6.2019

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) has published its annual report on the protection of fundamental rights in the EU Member States. The Fundamental Rights Report 2019 explores the main developments of 2018 in the following specific areas: equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; Roma integration; asylum, borders and migration; information society, privacy and data protection; rights of the child; access to justice; implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and the role and usage of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights at national level.

Some of the key issues of concern identified in the report include the need for further measures to reduce child poverty; national action to fight racism and racial discrimination; and respect for EU asylum law and human rights in the context of asylum and return procedures. This year’s report also dedicates its focus chapter to the interrelationship between human rights and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of Member States’ and the EU’s internal policies and takes a closer look at the SDGs related to reducing inequality and promoting peace, justice and strong institutions.

The researchers at the Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University have contributed to the Fundamental Rights Report 2019 by providing relevant data to FRA on fundamental rights issues in Finland in 2018. The Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University, together with the Faculty of Law at the University of Turku, currently form the national focal point of FRA’s multidisciplinary research network, FRANET.