EU Human Rights Agency
December 4, 2006
A new European human rights agency is to replace the more narrowly-focused European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia, which is based in Vienna and was founded in 1998.
"For the first time Europe will have an agency dealing with a broad range of fundamental rights, I mean promoting and protecting rights well beyond the scope of the observatory in Vienna," EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini told journalists.
The agreement, which is awaiting Dutch approval to be finalized on Tuesday, is the result of long negotiations, even though heads of state and government gave their backing to the idea in December 2003.
Agency to focus on EU issues
Member states refused to give the new agency, which should become operational next year, powers to intervene in police and legal cooperation due to fierce opposition from Britain and Germany.
As a result, the agency will focus on rights issues with an EU dimension in such matters as the bloc's single market and transportation as well as discrimination and racism.
Members also tried to avoid duplicating the activities of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, which monitors the application of European human rights laws in its 46 member states.
"The agency will not go check up on the state of a member state's prisons," one diplomat said.