The fourth Annual Report of the Frontex Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the Consultative Forum in 2016, including Consultative Forum members visit to Frontex operations in Greece. The report also presents observations and recommendations shared with Frontex and its Management Board on fundamental rights matters connected to the agency’s activities.
The development and implementation of the new European Border and Coast Guard Regulation was one of the primary objectives of the Consultative Forum’s work in 2016. The Forum provided its views on the establishment of a Frontex individual complaint mechanism, a European pool of forced return monitors and discussed the potential limitations and implications of the extended mandate of Frontex in countries outside of the EU, among others.
The report stresses the need for an accessible, impartial, transparent, independent and well-managed complaints mechanism to ensure that Frontex complies with its fundamental rights obligations and that an effective remedy is provided for refugees and migrants. The Consultative Forum calls for full compliance with fundamental rights, in particular the principle of non-refoulement and the right to an effective remedy when implementing Frontex enhanced mandate in return activities and cooperation with non-EU countries. Concerns on the situation at the Hungarian-Serbian border were also raised during 2016 with the Fundamental Rights Officer, Frontex and the Management Board. The Consultative Forum issued a recommendation on Frontex operational activities in Hungary.
The report also emphasises the need for the Fundamental Rights Office to be adequately staffed to support the further protection, respect and promotion for fundamental rights in Frontex activities and be able to fulfil the obligations entrusted in the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation.
The publication of this report is in line with Article 70 (4) of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation. The fourth Annual Report of the Consultative Forum was presented to the Frontex Management Board at 64th meeting on 29 March 2017.
More information about the Consultative Forum is available here.
For further information about the Report, please contact:
Soufiane Adjali, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Consultative Forum Chair
adjali@unhcr.org
Stefan Kessler, Jesuit Refugee Service
Consultative Forum Chair
stefan.kessler@jrs.net
Frontex Consultative Forum Secretariat
consultative.forum@frontex.europa.eu