Today, the European Commission has published its Report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2015. The report gives an overview of how fundamental rights have been applied across a range of EU policies and in Member States.

Among others, the report explains how the European Commission has taken into account the Charter in its legislative and policy work in 2015. Regarding the European migration policy, the reports looks at the measures the Commission put forward to better manage migration at EU level:

• In May 2015, the Commission presented a European Agenda on Migration, outlining urgent measures to better manage migration at EU level.
• The Commission published a Return Handbook to support the September 2015 Action Plan on Return. It provides guidance for national authorities including on how to ensure that any return operation fully complies with fundamental rights, especially for unaccompanied children.
• To help frontline Member States facing disproportionate migratory pressures at the EU’s external borders the Commission proposed to develop a hotspot approach. Hotspots can help Member States to better secure fundamental rights safeguards in practice.
• The Commission made a proposal in December 2015 for a Regulation establishing a European Border and Coast Guard. It establishes, among others, that a fundamental rights officer will monitor the Agency's respect of fundamental rights and a complaint mechanism would deal with any violations of fundamental rights during operational activities.

For additional information, including the complete report, please visit the Commission’s website.