On 1 March 2019, the Frontex Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights published its annual report for the year 2018.

The report still sees inadequat staffing of the Agency’s Fundamental Rights Office and raises concerns with respect to the independence of this office. The report also regrets that the revision of the 2011 Fundamental Rights Strategy was not a priority of 2018.

With regard to the Forum’s activities, the report sets out its work to enhance child protection and safeguarding in Frontex operations, and to address gender considerations, for example by collecting sex- and age-disaggregated data. In addition, the Forum had issued several recommendations in 2018, i.e. on statelessness in Frontex activities, on the Agency’s serious incident reporting mechanism for alleged breaches of fundamental rights, and the Agency’s complaints mechanism. The Forum also provided support with regard to the Agency’s training products and courses.

Looking at 2019, the report already underlines the changes that may arise due to the end of the term of office of the current Forum by mid-2019. Furthermore, it outlines the importance of the Forum’s participation in the discussions on the European Commission’s proposal to revise the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation.