European Institutions

EU Agency Reviews Eurosur Impacts on Fundamental Rights

December 04, 2018

Following a European Commission request to review the European Border Surveillance System (Eurosur), the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights produced a report containing a list of policy recommendations including a call for countries to bind themselves to explicit fundamental rights language in deals on border surveillance.
ECtHR: Exclusion of Woman in Hijab from Courtroom Violated Rights

December 03, 2018

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) recently held that Belgian authorities had violated the right to religious freedom of a woman excluded from entering a courtroom because she declined to remove her Islamic headscarf in line with court regulations.
Juncker Pushes for “European Sovereignty”

December 03, 2018

In his September “State of the European Union” speech, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker argued that “the time for European sovereignty has come,” calling for EU member states to transfer more authority to the bloc to help it become a “major player” on the global scene.
ECtHR: British Bulk Surveillance Violated Rights

December 03, 2018

In a September ruling, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decided that British intelligence services’ system of bulk interception of online communications, replaced by legislation with a new system, infringed the right to privacy under European human rights law because it did not contain sufficient safeguards against abuse.
EP Launches Legal Process Against Hungary

December 03, 2018

In September, the European Parliament (EP) voted to launch an EU legal process under which EU member states could impose sanctions against Hungary, including suspending its EU voting rights, in light of allegations that Hungary has violated EU values in areas including judicial independence, freedom of expression, and minority rights.