1. Could you describe the reasons of your application for the post and why you consider yourself suitable for the post?

Fighting for human rights has been a guiding principle throughout my life and career and I want to commit my passion and energy to FRA. While some may take fundamental rights in Europe for granted, data shows there is still much work to be done. High levels of anti-Semitism, discrimination against Roma and persons with disabilities, violence against women and LGBTI people, violation of children’s rights, racism and hate speech and discrimination based on race or religion are just some examples. To ensure that fundamental rights can become a reality for all in the EU, we need to further increase the impact and visibility of FRA's work.

A lawyer by education, I started my career in the 's external relations DG. Later I had the privilege of working on the historical accession of the new Member States to the EU as cabinet member and later Spokeswoman for Commissioner Van den Broek. The Commission’s reporting on the Copenhagen criteria, including on human rights, was a crucial element supporting transition, also by strengthening local actors to advocate for change. In 1999, I was elected to the , where I served, inter alia, as vice-president of the Justice and Civil Liberties Committee. After a term in the Dutch national parliament - where I was spokeswoman on justice, police, terrorism, human rights and equal opportunities - I served as chief of staff to the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC). From this combined experience I would bring to the position the following:

Maintaining independence, while building partnerships: Institution such as FRA and the ICC are subject to many, often competing, pressures from Member States, civil society and other institutions. At the ICC, we stuck closely to its judicial mandate, focusing on delivering justice to victims. In the same way, FRA needs to guard its reputation as a reliable supplier of objective, independent and EU comparative data and advice, while engaging deeply with the EU, Member States, national human rights institutions, the Council of Europe, parliaments, civil society and others to achieve fundamental rights for all. I look forward to strengthening those partnerships, bringing the experience of having worked at national, European and international level.

Creating lasting impact and raising visibility: Awareness of and support for fundamental rights in general and FRA's work in particular needs to continue to improve. Beyond personal skills, effective communication requires a solid strategy as well. The ICC external relations strategy, which my team implemented under my guidance, led to more countries joining the Court and improved relations with the US, UN and NGO's. As a former spokeswoman, I have the ability to explain and defend complex issues to a wide range of audiences (in fluent English, German and Dutch, conversant French and basic Italian). As a former member of parliament, I know when to join the debate and set the agenda, while at the ICC we would often work behind the scenes, giving others the spotlight. Both will be useful for FRA.

Accountability and transparency: FRA needs an experienced manager to ensure its limited resources are used effectively and staff remain motivated and efficient. As ICC chief of staff I served as certifying officer and manager responsible for all HR, budget and finance matters for the Judiciary of the ICC (90 FTE). I represented the Judiciary for court-wide management issues including strategic planning, the full budget cycle and risk management for a 100 million euro budget and over 1000 staff worldwide. FRA is only as effective as its staff and I look forward to engaging their expertise for more impact.

Fresh perspective: I would guide the fundamental rights experts at FRA similarly to how I did it at the ICC. Most ICC staff are experts in international criminal . My added value as chief of staff was to have a different background, bringing a strategic, organizational, communications, political and diplomatic angle. It completed the team dynamics and improved performance. It allowed me to value my staff's expertise, while ensuring more results from their work.

------Lousewies van der Laan, candidate director European Agency for Fundamental Rights 1 2. Could you present your ideas on the role and the future of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights?

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights is a small, but important part of Europe's human rights landscape. From its beginnings as the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia it has grown into a fully functioning Agency, whose comparative, objective data is useful to many stakeholders. It is now time for the next stage: increasing the impact of documents, improved communication by connecting to ongoing public debates and becoming an increasingly valuable partner to national and EU policy makers. Increasingly studies should continue to outline not only what is wrong, but also what can be done to improve the situation. Five years after the entry into force of the Charter for Fundamental Rights, FRA should be seen as a professional, knowledgeable and helpful agency, that EU citizens feel is working for them.

FRA's current work is outlined in its Founding Regulation and the Multi-annual Framework and Strategic Priorities for 2013-2017. Under the leadership of the Management Board, annual work programs and budgets are adopted and implementation is supervised. The responsible EU institutions in consultation with the various partners will determine FRA’s future priorities. I would bring the following ideas to that process:

Continuity and focus: Building on FRA's achievements to date, I believe stakeholders need to continue to have objective, reliable and comparable data and analysis. This will ensure a long- term perspective is maintained, even as policy makers address urgent problems. I would want to ensure that past large-scale surveys (like those on anti-Semitism, LGBTI, violence against women, and (ethnic) minorities and discrimination) are repeated on a regular basis in order to determine trends. In addition, I would advise to continue with FRA's legal analyses, reports and qualitative research, since they are valuable resources for a wide range of partners. At the same time we need to focus the Agency's work for maximum impact. I would prefer to do priority issues well, rather than spreading resources too thinly without impact.

Impact and relevance: Given its expertise and resources, FRA's impact can be higher to ensure that fundamental rights can become a reality for all in the EU and a central part of existing and new policies. Faced by real threats to its security, for example due to increased radicalization and jihadism, the EU need to balance what works to keep us safe with strong protection of fundamental rights. In all priority areas, it is vital to measure what is wrong, but we also need to learn what really works in improving the situation. If a project works in one EU country, we should share and see if and how it can be applied in others. The many people and organizations fighting for fundamental rights in the EU need data that is relevant and helpful to their work. As FRA's long-term surveys move towards policy recommendations, we need to analyze the real, on the ground barriers and drivers to implementing fundamental rights legislation and policies and help address these.

Stronger partnerships: FRA needs to be easily accessible for civil society, key partners in consolidating fundamental rights in the EU. While continuing to deepen its work with EU institutions, agencies, the Council of Europe, OSCE and UN, FRA needs to build stronger partnerships inside the Member States. The focal points in national parliaments are a good starting point, but local and regional actors as well as the public at large need to see the added value of the Agency as well. Cooperation with other Agencies (such as EU-LISA, EIGE, Europol, Eurojust, EASO, FRONTEX) to ensure synergy is crucial.

Naturally, if the EU institutions decide to give FRA new tasks or areas of work, the Agency should be ready to take on new responsibilities, provided it gets the required resources or can shift existing ones to match the new priorities.

------Lousewies van der Laan, candidate director European Agency for Fundamental Rights 2 3. In which ways could the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights cooperate more effectively with the European Parliament and in particular with the LIBE Committee?

European Parliament: As a co-legislator and part of the budgetary authority, the European Parliament has a decisive role in EU law- and policy-making, enabling it to play a key role in shaping the fundamental rights policy of the EU. In this regard, the EP, notably LIBE, is a key partner for FRA. By asking targeted questions, the EP can obtain actionable output. In addition, the EP's role in helping establish the Multi-annual Framework and the budget that guide the Agency's operations make a close partnership essential. FRA and its staff need to be ready to work closely and effectively with the EP and its committees in order to achieve our shared goals.

According to article 13 of the Founding Regulation, the European Parliament, like the Council and the European Commission can request the Agency to deliver opinions on EU legislative proposals, as it did with the 2012 data protection reform package. If the EP wishes, the work program can be better aligned with current discussions on EU legislation, allowing FRA experts to share their knowledge on legislative files.

Committees: The FRA director and her staff should be ready to attend meetings and hearings and provide input as requested. In addition to LIBE, other committees, with which FRA may cooperate include: CONT (safeguarding the effective utilization of public resources), EMPL/IMCO/ECON (cooperate on economic and social aspects of fundamental rights, and non- discrimination and equal treatment in the field of employment and access to services), FEMM (on equality issues), PETI (for citizens' rights) and AFET/DROI (FRA could be helpful with its expertise to ensure coherence between the EU internal and external policy when it comes to fundamental rights).

Cooperation: FRA should continue to support policy makers to make the right choices with the aim of making fundamental rights a reality for all. As a former elected representative I know how important it is to get reliable, factual information, presented in a succinct, practical way in time. MEP's often need to respond to urgent humanitarian situations, such a currently the waves of migrants and refugees risking their lives at sea or the increased terrorist threats. FRA should be ready to supply timely, objective data, advice and research to ensure decisions are supported by facts and will achieve the intended long-term results.

Synergy: Where data is lacking, the EP can ask FRA to launch researches or surveys. We should ensure greater synergy and avoid overlap with other institutions, in terms of activities and research (i.e. cooperation and coordination with the EP, Commission and Council of Europe on research programs, reports and activities). Thus we can provide optimal expertise in the field of fundamental rights to Members.

At the same time, FRA can benefit from the close contacts MEP's have with civil society and national parliamentarians, ensuring all perspectives are taken into account.

In conclusion: As Europe faces serious economic and security challenges there is a risk that fundamental rights are taken for granted or even considered a luxury for better times. The opposite is true: fundamental rights for everyone are a core European value and need to be guaranteed. Taxpayers need to know that the resources for FRA are spent making it a useful institution, focusing on finding real, long-term solutions. In this the EP and FRA need to work in close harmony and complementarity. I would be honored to be given the opportunity to be a part of that.

------Lousewies van der Laan, candidate director European Agency for Fundamental Rights 3