“One of the main concerns in Europe in 2020 was the rise in hate crimes. We have also noticed this in our work. The Human Rights Center has been increasingly approached by people who have been attacked or harassed on the streets,” commented the human rights situation Egert Rünne, the director of the EHRC.

“Unfortunately, the lack of legislation in Estonia makes it difficult to notice and help victims. We should be a country where everyone feels safe. The first step should be to finally adopt a framework decision to cover hate crime as a specific type of crime,” was Rünne certain.

The report sets out proposals for governments on public health.

Moving forward, governments should consult with national human rights bodies to assess how their public health actions affect fundamental rights. They should also:

• boost the resilience of educational, healthcare and social support services to meet everyone’s needs;
• adopt digital solutions, bridge the digital divide and tackle disinformation;
• pay attention to high-risk groups like those in care, detained or homeless;
• ensure fair and equal access to vaccines.

Other key issues in 2020 include:

• Racism – the pandemic fuelled discrimination, hate crime and hate speech towards minorities, particularly people with immigrant backgrounds and Roma. At the same time, the Black Lives Matter movement and the first-ever EU Anti-racism action plan mobilised efforts to tackle racism in Europe. EU countries should step up efforts to counter racism through national action plans, penalise hate crime, support victims and tackle discriminatory ethnic profiling in policing.
• Migration – respecting fundamental rights at borders remained challenging in the EU. Migrants died at sea, faced violence and pushbacks at land borders, and overcrowding at reception centres. In line with the proposed EU Migration and Asylum Pact, EU countries should carry out effective and independent monitoring to counter rights abuses at borders. They should also provide adequate facilities at reception centres.
• Child rights – many children suffered during the pandemic, particularly those from economically or socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Remote education was difficult without internet access or computers. Child abuse also rose during lockdown and quarantine. The EU should support initiatives under the future European Child Guarantee targeting areas and groups most affected by the pandemic. EU countries should ensure all children have equal access to education and are protected from abuse.

The report summarises and analyses major human rights developments in the EU in 2020. It contains proposals for action covering the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and its use by Member States; equality and non-discrimination; racism and related intolerance; Roma inclusion and equality; asylum, borders and migration; information society, privacy and data protection; child rights; access to justice; and implementing the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD).