Aligning Fundamental Rights with Future Viability

Fundamental rights are not a matter of fact – even if they should be. Instead, they are monitored, evaluated, and demanded by governments, institutions – such as the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) – and civil society actors alike. To better promote them, FRA aims to identify future risks and challenges and proactively responds to expected changes in the fundamental rights environment, and to integrate fundamental rights considerations into the strategic thinking of EU institutions and agencies. FRA has therefore set out to conduct forward-looking analysis in the area of fundamental rights. It aims to better anticipate and to respond to changes in the EU policy environment and related policy cycles.

For methodological guidance, it has asked the Bureau fuer Zeitgeschehen (BfZ) to guide it through this process. A workshop in Vienna, attended by foresight experts from various EU institutions, initiated the process in the fall of 2022. They identified current and future trends affecting fundamental rights in Europe and discussed how to bring together the foresight and trend analysis capabilities of EU institutions, agencies and bodies. On this basis, the BfZ developed possible methods to advance FRA’s strategic foresight and deliberated on possible initial deliverables to be presented by the end of 2023.