Justice and Fundamental Rights

In 2010, the European Commission adopted a strategy to monitor and ensure the effective implementation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The three key objectives of the strategy are namely:

1. To guarantee that the rights and principles of the charter are correctly taken into account at every step of the legislative process
2. To improve EU citizens' understanding of fundamental rights protection within the EU
3. To monitor the progress of the charter's application through annual reports.

In order to monitor the progress made, since 2010 the European Commission publishes annual reports. They track the progress in the areas where the EU has powers to act, showing how the charter has been taken into account in actual cases, notably when new EU legislation is proposed. The annual report is based on the actions of EU institutions and the analysis of letters from the general public. The questions and petitions from the European Parliament are also taken into consideration.