On 14 December this year, the Management Board of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) appointed Ms Sirpa Rautio as its new Director. Ms Sirpa Rautio is currently the Director of the Finnish Centre for Human Rights and Chair of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). She chaired the FRA Board from 2017 to 2020 and has worked for many years in international and regional human rights organizations such as the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the EU on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Prof. Lyra Jakulevičienė, Dean of the Law School of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), who represents Lithuania on the FRA's Management Board and Executive Board, says that "at a time when fundamental human rights and the rule of law are under threat in Europe, it is crucial for the Agency to be led by not only a professional with excellent managerial and advocacy skills, but also by a champion of the idea of human rights. The Agency is a unique institution in the EU ecosystem and its role is crucial, advising the EU institutions on the development of EU legislation and policies, conducting much-needed pan-European research, and engaging young people in the human rights dialogue. The Agency has been focusing on assessing the human rights implications of the Russian aggression in Ukraine for Europe and has published thematic bulletins and conducted several studies on the situation of Ukrainians in Europe. Each year, the Agency publishes reports on the situation of human rights in Europe, thematic reports that are used not only by academics but also by EU institutions, institutions and organizations in EU Member States.
The Fundamental Rights Agency has a Scientific Committee, which brings together Europe's leading human rights scholars. The documents produced by the Agency are of particular interest to researchers at Mykolas Romeris University and its Human Rights Laboratory, who carry out research in various fields of human rights, the rule of law, crisis management and other areas, as well as to lecturers teaching subjects related to human rights protection.
Check out FRA's latest publications "Online content moderation - Current challenges in detecting hate speech" and "Protecting children at Europe's borders - new guidance for border officials and other authorities", published in December 2023.
The Agency's next international event is the Fundamental Rights Forum which attracts several thousand participants. Next year's Forum will take place on 11-12 March. Vienna.
More on the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
The Agency was set up in 2007 to provide fundamental rights-related assistance and expertise to EU institutions, bodies, offices, agencies and EU countries in their implementation of EU law. The Agency's main function is to collect and publish relevant, objective, reliable and comparable information and data on the situation of fundamental rights in all EU countries in accordance with EU law. The Agency also promotes dialogue with civil society in order to raise public awareness of fundamental rights and to disseminate information on its activities.
Source of information: https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2023/sirpa-rautio-to-become-new-fra-director