Today, the Frontex Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights published its seventh annual report. The report outlines the main observations and recommendations that the Forum raised throughout the year with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and its Management Board to strengthen fundamental rights protection in Frontex activities.
The Consultative Forum has and continues to express concerns over the absence of an effective monitoring system to prevent and address potential fundamental rights violations in the Agency’s activities. The Consultative Forum views the implementation of the 2019 European Border and Coast Guard Regulation as an opportunity to address current concerns and has focused its recent engagement on the implementation of the Regulation.
Adopted in 2019, the Regulation substantially extends Frontex’s mandate and capacities, and consequently the Agency’s possible impact on fundamental rights. It also obliges Frontex to strengthen its Fundamental Rights Office and recruit a minimum of forty fundamental rights monitors before the end of the year. The mandate of the Frontex Fundamental Rights Officer has also been extended to the investigation of potential fundamental rights violations.
The Consultative Forum has also continued to advise Frontex on setting up a due diligence procedure that allows the Agency to comply with its obligation to suspend, terminate or not launch activities that could lead to violations of fundamental rights or international protection obligations.
The publication of the Consultative Forum’s annual report is in line with Article 108 of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation. With a renewed composition, the Forum stands ready to support Frontex in promoting a rights compliant approach in its activities.
The report is available here.