MEETING WITH SIRPA RAUTO, DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND OTHER HEADS OF EUROPEAN UNION AGENCIES IN THE FIELD OF JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

In his capacity as Chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Javier Zarzalejos met with the Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

The agency was created in 2007 and is based in Vienna. It is an independent body that advises EU institutions and national governments on fundamental rights issues such as discrimination, access to justice, racism and xenophobia, victims’ rights and children’s rights.

During the meeting they highlighted two of the new challenges facing European society, one being digitalisation and the other illegal immigration. Rauto explained that the agency is making a great effort in terms of budget and the workload of its staff (which barely exceeds 100 people) in the preparation of reports on the regulations on artificial intelligence and digitalisation in general, which are currently being developed by the European Union, and announced that, during this new legislature, they will be very vigilant in the application of the Migration and Asylum Pact.

Both Zarzalejos and Rauto stressed their concern about the increase in anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism, racism and xenophobia in Europe, and agreed that one of the greatest challenges facing the European Union is the disinformation that encourages much of this discourse.

Among the agency’s activities are also the assessment of the respect of fundamental rights in EU candidate countries, such as Albania, North Macedonia or Serbia-Herzegovina.

In addition to the Director of the FRA, Zarzalejos has met in recent weeks with the Executive Director of Europol, the Director of Frontex, the ad interim Director of EU-LISA and the President of EUROJUST.