Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018-2022 [ Arrived ]

LEGISLATIVE TRAIN 08.2021 7 AREA OF JUSTICE AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS / UP TO €7BN

MULTIANNUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS FOR 2018-2022 [ ARRIVED ]

CONTENT

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (the Agency) was established by the Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 to assist EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and its Member States and provide them with expertise on fundamental rights when implementing Union law. As required by its founding Regulation, the thematic areas of activity of the Agency are determined through a five-year Multiannual Framework.

On 5 July 2016, the European Commission published the proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018-2022. The proposal is based on Article 352 TFEU and is subject to the European Parliament's consent prior to its adoption by the Council. The Commission prepared the proposal by consulting the Agency’s Management Board, by considering the Union’s priorities and by taking into account orientations resulting from relevant European Parliament resolutions and Council conclusions. It also took into consideration an external evaluation of the Agency conducted in 2012 and the results of a targeted stakeholder consultation carried out in September 2015.

To ensure continuity and consistency in the Agency’s work, and following the opinion of the Agency’s Management Board, the European Commission confirmed the thematic areas from the current Multiannual Framework (2013-2017) whilst removing the exclusion of judicial cooperation in criminal matters and adding a reference to police cooperation. The Commission’s proposal identified 8 thematic areas for the Agency’s Multiannual Framework for 2018-2022:

• access to justice and victims of crime; • equality and non-discrimination; • information society and, in particular, respect for private life and protection of personal data; • judicial and police cooperation; • migration, borders, asylum and integration of refugees and migrants; • racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; • rights of the child; • Roma integration and social inclusion.

Under the proposal, fighting racism, xenophobia and related intolerance remains a central theme. The Agency will focus on equality and non-discrimination, the rights of the child, migration and asylum, the protection of personal data, access to justice, victim's rights

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and judicial cooperation, as well as Roma integration and social inclusion.

The European Parliament has consistently advocated the active monitoring of fundamental rights and has supported an enhanced role for the Agency. In its February 2014 and September 2015 resolutions on Fundamental rights in the European Union, it called on the European Commission and the Council to make use of the external independent expertise of the Agency and to revise its rules in order to enhance its powers and competences. During the negotiation of the previous Multiannual Framework for the Agency, the previous rapporteur for the proposal in the European Parliament expressed regret for the disagreement in the Council as regards the inclusion of the thematic areas of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The Commission 2016 proposal for a Multiannual Framework for 2018-2022 includes these areas.

In its Conclusions on the evaluation of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights of 6 December 2013, the Council invited the Commission to examine the Agency’s mandate with the aim of a possible extension. The European Council in its Conclusions of 27 June 2014 defining strategic guidelines for the area of freedom, security and justice underlined the need to further simplify access to justice and to ensure the protection of fundamental rights in the context of reinforced police cooperation among Member States and called to further mobilize the expertise of the Agency.

In the Council, the Working Party on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons (FREMP) discussed the Commission proposal and reached an agreement. Discussions within the Council took place in November 2016 and January 2017.

In the European Parliament the proposal was referred to the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE). Between March and June 2017, the EP discussed the issue, adopting in a first and single reading a legislative resolution on 1 June 2017, in which it gave its consent to the draft Council decision.

On 7 December 2017, the Council adopted the decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018–2022.

References:

• Council Decision (EU) 2017/2269 of 7 December 2017 establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018–2022 • Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 of 15 February 2007 establishing a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights • European Commission, Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018-2022,. COM (2016) 442 final, 5 July 2016 • European Parliament, Resolution of 27 February 2014 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2012), 2013/2078(INI) • European Parliament, Resolution of 8 September 2015 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2013- 2014), 2014/2254(INI)

LEGISLATIVE TRAIN 08.2021 7 AREA OF JUSTICE AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS / UP TO €7BN 2/4

• European Parliament, LIBE Committee, Draft Recommendation on the draft Council decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018–2022, 23 March 2017, Angelika Mlinar (ALDE, Austria) • European Parliament, Recommendation on the draft Council decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018–2022, (14423/2016 – C8-0528/2016 – 2016/0204(APP)), 2 May 2017, rapporteur: Angelika Mlinar (ALDE, Austria) • European Parliament, European Parliament legislative resolution of 1 June 2017 on the draft Council decision establishing a Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2018–2022 (14423/2016 – C8-0528/2016 – 2016/0204(APP)) (Special legislative procedure – consent), 1 June 2017, rapporteur: Angelika Mlinar (ALDE, Austria) • EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Opinion of the Management Board of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights on a new Multi- annual Framework (2018–2022) for the agency, 12 February 2016