Brussels, 16/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Marginalisation of the Roma, asylum systems under pressure and threats to data protection, these are the three main challenges facing the EU, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said on Wednesday 15 June as it published its annual report for 2010. This report charts the progress made by member states towards securing the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights through developments in legislation, policies and practices. “While the Agency has collected numerous examples of promising practices among the member states, there is still some way to go before the reality of the situation on the ground meets the standards guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights”, stated FRA Director Morten Kjaerum.
In 2010, barriers in the way of access to justice, high levels of discrimination, and violence against children were the FRA's main concerns. However, the EU must also face up to the marginalisation of the Roma, inadequate conditions for asylum seekers in particular at the EU's external borders, and threats to the protection of personal data, the agency warned.
Asylum and migration: “2010 witnessed a fundamental rights emergency at the Greek-Turkish land border, where a large number of irregular border crossings into the EU took place”, the FRA said, noting that “the Greek authorities have encountered significant difficulties in providing reception conditions that comply with fundamental rights standards, and in ensuring that migrants in need of protection have a fair chance to apply for asylum”. This is a notorious situation which, on 21 January, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. For the FRA, then, all countries experiencing severe pressure on their asylum systems will necessarily be in danger of infringing fundamental rights standards - hence the importance for member states to reach agreement as quickly as possible on a common European asylum system before 2012 and on sharing responsibilities in this area.
Roma: the FRA says that “efforts at the European and national levels must be stepped up” to promote equality and combat discrimination, inter alia in education, employment and access to services.
Data Protection: “The events of 2010 highlight that there is a continuous need to balance the opportunities offered by new technologies to promote freedom of expression, cultural and social life, and free movement, against the potential threat to other rights”, says the FRA. It specifically mentions Google Street View, which “attracted attention from law-makers and regulatory bodies in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Spain because of the potential threat that it poses to privacy and data protection”.
The same level of vigilance is required, says the FRA, on the EU's Data Retention Directive, which is due for revision this year. (S.P./transl.rt)