Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025

The European Parliament adopted by 328 votes to 199, with 98 abstentions, a resolution on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025.

Fundamental rights at stake

Parliament urged the Commission to comply with its obligations to respect and promote EU values, such as to systematically conduct thorough fundamental rights impact assessments when preparing and presenting a legislative proposal, to launch infringement procedures where needed and to use fast-track procedures only when strictly necessary. It also urged the Commission to strengthen the annual reports on the application of the Charter by providing an EU-wide overview of its application across the EU.

Divergent interpretations

Members expressed concern that divergent national interpretations lead to inadequate application of certain Charter provisions. It called on the Commission to take effective measures to ensure the full and uniform application of the Charter across the EU and on the Member States who have not yet done so to designate national focal points to ensure that national legislation, policies and EU-funded projects are fully Charter-compliant.

While commending the role of FRA in monitoring the situation of fundamental rights in the EU, Parliament stressed the need to provide FRA with enhanced human and financial resources to ensure that it can fully and efficiently perform the duties entrusted to it.

Democracy under stress

Parliament reiterated that democratic backsliding, attacks on judicial independence and threats to civic space are not isolated incidents but part of a systemic erosion of the rule of law in several Member States. The resolution also noted the increasing political interference in the judiciary, the harassment of judges and prosecutors, and the use of disciplinary proceedings to silence independent judicial voices.

Members also reiterated their call on the Commission and the Council to immediately enter into negotiation with Parliament on an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the form of an interinstitutional agreement encompassing all Union values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, including a permanent policy cycle among the EU institutions integrating all existing tools, including the Article 7 TEU procedure, the Rule of Law Framework and Report, the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, the Common Provisions Regulation and the infringement procedures, into a single, enforceable framework.

Member States are called on to ensure transparency in public spending and political financing, and to protect whistle-blowers who expose corruption in public institutions and the private sector.

Serious concerns were also expressed regarding the deterioration in media freedom and the safety of journalists and media actors in several Member States. In this regard, the urgent need for stronger safeguards and robust legal frameworks to protect journalists is underlined. The Commission is urged to ensure the full and correct implementation of the European Media Freedom Act.

Democracy and technology

Parliament highlighted the growing trend of election manipulation in the EU by both domestic and foreign actors and called on the Commission to carry out regular specific analyses of the tools available to, and used by, Member States to combat disinformation and foreign interference linked to electoral processes. The resolution called for the effective implementation and enforcement of the DSA, the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising Regulation.

Parliament highlighted the negative effects that online platforms can have on fundamental rights and the mental health of children. Therefore, it stressed the need to protect children online. Stronger safeguards against spyware and unjustified surveillance were also called for.

Border and migration policy

The resolution recalled that the new legislative framework under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum establishes revised rules for asylum procedures, border management and solidarity. Its effective implementation requires full respect for fundamental rights.

The EU and its Member States are called on to implement the Migration and Asylum Pact in full and in a timely manner and establish permanent and coordinated search and rescue operations with swift disembarkations and for them to take every possible action to save the lives of people at risk at sea.

Structural racism and discrimination

Parliament welcomed the Commission’s decision to reverse the withdrawal of the proposed Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive and reiterated its calls to unblock the discussions in the Council on the directive without delay. Effective action should be taken against antisemitism, xenophobia, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and any other form of prejudice, intolerance, discrimination or hate crime in a holistic manner.

Gender-based violence, women’s rights and the rights of LGBTIQ+ people

Members strongly condemned the backsliding on women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights in several Member States and called on the Commission and the Member States to protect and promote gender equality and fundamental rights. The Commission is urged to ensure that in the new MFF, no EU funding will be made available to anti-gender and anti-rights groups, nor to any group or project that does not respect EU values and the fundamental rights.

Member States are urged to formally recognise feminicide as a distinct gender-based crime in national legislation and to include a definition of rape based on the absence of freely given consent.

Beyond 2025

Lastly, Parliament recalled that the foundations of the EU project included the well-being of people as a pillar. The Commission is called on to ensure that EU funds dedicated to promoting social inclusion and improving living standards – including access to affordable housing, quality education, social security and healthcare – are used effectively and transparently. Moreover, it requested that the Commission include food and health security in its political security agenda.

Text adopted by Parliament, single reading