The competence entanglements of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency

Abstract

With the establishment of the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union (FRA) on 1 March 2007, a new institutional instrument of the European Union (EU) came into being. [1] Undoubtedly, the FRA will contribute to the long sought for paradigm shift in fundamental rights policy-making towards a more proactive instead of a reactive stance. [2] Fortunately, the importance of fundamental rights in the Union is increasing. With the entry-into-force of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is finally placed on equal footing with primary law. [3] The planned integration of the EU into the system of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will certainly fuel the development of fundamental rights in the Union.