Human rights in the European Union

The European Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The Union is one of three institutions, together with the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, that make up the European system for the protection of human rights.

The most important elements of the system for the protection of fundamental rights in the EU include:

• contractual guarantees for the protection of fundamental rights;
• the adoption of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;
• the creation of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights in Vienna;
• work on EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

EU Agency for Fundamental Rights

The European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 of 15 February 2007 establishing the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency. Works since March 1, 2007. The headquarters is located in Vienna. The first Director of the Agency was Morten Kjaerum from Denmark.

It was created to provide EU institutions and Member States with independent and evidence-based assistance and expertise in the field of fundamental rights. The FRA is an independent EU body funded from the EU budget.

EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFR, the Charter) is the first legal document in the history of European integration, containing an extensive list of fundamental rights binding on all as institutions, organs and agencies of the European Union in all their field of activity, and Member States, when they apply EU law.

The inspiration for the rights and principles set out in the Charter are primarily the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; European Social Charter, other instruments of international law, as well as the common constitutional traditions of EU member states.