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Fundamental Rights Conference 2009EU-MIDIS: European Union Minorities and Discrimination SurveyFRA InfoPortalRespect Unlimited - Diversity day 2009Spanish Presidency of the European UnionEuropean Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
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In Focus

Ilze Brands Kehris, Chairperson of FRA Management Board

Seminar on Fundamental rights in the EU in view of the accession of the Union to the European Convention on Human Rights (02/02/2010)

The incoming Spanish Presidency of the European Union and FRA are organising a joint seminar on "Fundamental rights in the European Union in view of the accession of the Union to the European Convention on Human Rights" on 2-3 February 2010 in Madrid.  Relevant experts in the field of protection of fundamental rights from Spain and other European Union Member States and Institutions, will have the opportunity to discuss and analyse the impact of Accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Liberties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, sharing with participants their experiences and views.
The Lisbon Treaty will bring new challenges and opportunities in the field of protection of fundamental rights. These challenges and opportunities will have legal, political and technical implications, but hopefully also contribute to making rights a reality for all in the Union.


65th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

65th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp (28/01/2010)

The 26-28 January saw over thirty education ministers, senior government representatives and ambassadors gather at the site of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland.  International Holocaust Remembrance Day offered an opportunity not only to reflect on the 65 years since the camp's liberation, but for attendees to participate in discussions about how best to continue to include Holocaust education in national curricula, in both an historical and relevant fashion. Attendance by high-profile figures such as Polish President Lech KaczyƄski, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as a video message from US President Barack Obama demonstrated the enduring value of such occasions.

The presentation of the FRA's most recent report, "Discover the past for the future: A study on the role of historical sites and museums in Holocaust education and human rights education in the EU", contributed by highlighting the importance of locations such as Auschwitz in educating younger generations about events of the past, to aid them in understanding their implications for human rights issues today. The camp itself impacted greatly on the discussions, as was observed by the UK's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Mr Iain Wright:  'A key point that I really support that came out in today's conference, was the preservation of the actual sites, the preservation of the buildings and objects, because they are so poignant, so vivid and bring it home so powerfully to people, across the generations the horrors that have taken place here.'
Mrs Ilze Brands Kehris, Chairperson of the FRA Management Board: "Many of the interviewed students (during the FRA project) viewed memorial sites as places that could have a lasting impression on them. But students also asked for a stronger connection to the present in education activities about the Holocaust."


Ministerial conference on Holocaust education, Auschwitz (26-28.01.2010)

New FRA study on Holocaust and Human Rights education released in Auschwitz (27/01/2010)

At a Ministerial Conference being held in Auschwitz from 26-28 January,  the FRA released the findings of the first ever EU-wide study on the role of historical sites and museums in teaching about the Holocaust and human rights. On the eve of the 2010 International Remembrance Day for the Victims of the Holocaust, the report revealed that at historical sites and in schools across the EU, teaching about the Holocaust rarely includes discussion of related human rights issues.  Teachers and guides are considered to be key to ensuring interest in the subject, yet there is a lack of human rights training on behalf of both groups. Based on the findings of its study, the FRA encourages national governments to better integrate human rights education into their school curricula to reflect the significance of human rights for both the history and the future of the EU.

FRA Director Morten Kjaerum: "The findings of our report reveal the importance attached to Holocaust education, democracy education and human rights education by governments throughout the EU. However, this is not sufficiently reflected in school curricula and links are not established between important historical events, like the Holocaust, and human rights. When this is achieved young people in the EU will be able to fully understand their past and go on to build a more united future." 

Key Products

cover S'cool Agenda

S'cool Agenda 2010: Packed with even more information than ever before! (23/12/2009)


Keep track of your daily activities and homework and help to PROMOTE AND PROTECT FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS in the EU

For the third year running, the Agency is releasing its extremely popular awareness raising calendar for young people. This agenda, available in English, German and French, is intended to help young people to learn about fundamental rights issues in the EU. Would you like to know more about how to combat discrimination, homophobia and how to promote and protect rights? This year's edition provides helpful definitions, examples and personal stories as well as a wide range of useful tools, such as the "human rights temperature" test, a glossary, and tips about how to fight discrimination.

Download your personal copy; test your knowledge; download wall calendars for free on this dedicated page

Order your personal copy of the S'cool Agenda by sending an Email to mailto://information@fra.europa.eu

EU-MIDIS

European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS) - survey results (09/12/2009)


While the composition of Member States' populations is becoming increasingly diverse, FRA reports have consistently shown that there is a severe lack of data on minorities in many countries. Data is needed to measure social inclusion of ethnic minority and immigrant groups, as well as the extent of discriminatory treatment and criminal victimisation, including racially motivated crime, experienced by minorities.
Therefore, the FRA conducted a major representative survey (executed by GALLUP), interviewing selected ethnic minority and immigrant groups in all of the 27 Member States of the EU. The survey examined experiences of discriminatory treatment, racist crime, victimisation, awareness of rights, and reporting of complaints. This is the first ever EU-wide survey of ethnic minority and immigrant groups' experiences of discrimination and victimisation in everyday life.

The results of this major survey will be released throughout 2009 and 2010 in a series of “Data in Focus Reports” on different minority groups and key issues examined in the survey. The results were also discussed at the FRA Fundamental Rights Conference on 10-11 December 2009 in Stockholm, held under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

Discover more about the EU-MIDIS survey and its latest developments at http://fra.europa.eu/eu-midis/


The situation of Roma EU citizens moving to and settling in other EU Member States

The situation of Roma EU citizens moving to and settling in other EU Member States (09/11/2009)


EU citizens have the right to move and live anywhere in the European Union, provided that they meet certain conditions. This is an important right to achieve European integration and is included in the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 45). However, FRA research shows that many Roma EU citizens settling in another Member State in search of better conditions continue to experience racism, discrimination and exclusion.
The new report released by the Agency highlights the case of the Roma and their particular challenges in exercising these rights. Based on the evidence of its report, the FRA advises the EU and its Member States to adopt targeted policies promoting social cohesion to ensure that all citizens can exercise their right to freedom of movement effectively.

Last update 8/2/2010
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