On 26 June 2023, the Frontex Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights published its tenth annual report for the year 2022. The Frontex Consultative Forum brings together key European institutions as well as international and civil society organisations to advise the agency in fundamental rights matters.

In two main chapters, the report summarizes the fundamental rights advice given by the Consultative Forum in 2022 on the agency's operations and procedures. Regarding the latter, the report closely looks at the support provided on the identification of vulnerable persons and on fundamental rights aspects of the European Travel and Authorisation System (ETIAS). In the area of operations, the Consultative Forum stepped up its operational fundamental rights advice by carrying out on-the-spot visits, with the objective of improving its operational understanding and tailoring future recommendations to the relevant operational context.

Although the year 2022 was marked by allegations of fundamental rights violations in Frontex-financed operations, the resignation of the Frontex Executive Director, and a series of remedial measures (→eucrim news of 20 November 2022), the Consultative Forum also observed an increased effectiveness in the Frontex fundamental rights monitoring mechanism. This was particularly due to the findings and evidence collected by the Fundamental Rights Monitors, who were fully operational by the end of 2022. However, the Consultative Forum also sees a gap in relation to follow-up actions undertaken by Frontex regarding their recommendations and proposals for mitigating measures. Nevertheless, the Forum notes a positive development in the adoption of Standard Operating Procedures on decisions to suspend, terminate, or not launch activities (Art. 46 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896).

Lastly, as a new Annex, the report released the Consultative Forum’s expenses for the year 2022, which totalled €37,789.89.