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EU gets fundamental rights agency | EU gets fundamental rights agency |
(40 minutes later) | |
The European Union has opened a Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna to help combat discrimination on the basis of race, gender or religion. | The European Union has opened a Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna to help combat discrimination on the basis of race, gender or religion. |
The agency replaces the EU's Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. | The agency replaces the EU's Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. |
Its purpose will be to collect data on violations of fundamental rights, provide advice to the EU and its member states, and to raise public awareness. | Its purpose will be to collect data on violations of fundamental rights, provide advice to the EU and its member states, and to raise public awareness. |
Critics have said the agency will duplicate work being done by the Council of Europe and the UN. | Critics have said the agency will duplicate work being done by the Council of Europe and the UN. |
"The Fundamental Rights Agency will take £20m (30m euros) of taxpayers' money and use it to advance a partisan agenda with little accountability to anyone," said British MEP Syed Kamall. | |
"Frankly, we can all think of better things to spend taxpayers' money on. While we do want to see greater equality, another expensive agency is not the answer." | "Frankly, we can all think of better things to spend taxpayers' money on. While we do want to see greater equality, another expensive agency is not the answer." |
But Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the European Union had to promote fundamental rights if it was to achieve "a Europe of which we can be proud - a Europe which is richly diverse, where people are integrated and live side-by-side, and gender, racial and other inequalities are overcome". | But Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the European Union had to promote fundamental rights if it was to achieve "a Europe of which we can be proud - a Europe which is richly diverse, where people are integrated and live side-by-side, and gender, racial and other inequalities are overcome". |
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