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European Network of National Human Rights Institutions

ENNHRI

ENNHRI is a membership organisation, comprising 49 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from across wider Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Karolina Kottova (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos)

9 Dec 2025 · Rule of law and defence of fundamental rights in Enlargement countries.

Meeting with Florian Geyer (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

9 Sept 2025 · Rule of Law Report

Response to European Democracy Shield

26 May 2025

Below ENNHRI is attaching its submission that informs the European Commission of the key importance to include National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the European Democracy Shield, as a safeguarding component of resilient democracies. This will contribute to strengthening the interconnection between democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights and fostering meaningful participation in decision making processes and public trust, ultimately making societies and democratic frameworks, including NHRIs, more resilient to threats. Further, this submission sets out how NHRIs, including through ENNHRI, can support the implementation of the future European Democracy Shield and identifies areas referenced in the call where further cooperation can contribute to achieving the objectives of the instrument, including countering disinformation, strengthening media pluralism, and supporting civic space. This is supported by concrete recommendations regarding action within the remit of the European Democracy Shield. Moreover, ENNHRIs broad membership can help address challenges faced by democracies in view of rising tensions and polarisation in Europe through fostering transnational cooperation and trust across EU Member States and in the context of Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood.
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Meeting with Ingrid Bellander Todino (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

25 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on the recent and upcoming activities under ENNHRI’s CERV Operating Grant

Response to European Internal Security Strategy

13 Mar 2025

In the current challenging geopolitical, economic and security context in and around the European Union (EU), the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to launch a consultation on the European Internal Security Strategy. ENNHRI brings together 49 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) covering the EU and wider Europe, including countries in active armed conflict such as Ukraine. NHRIs are recognised by the European Commission as safeguards of the rule of law, and as key actors to advance the implementation of fundamental rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Based on our members official mandates and experience, ENNHRIs submission informs the European Commission of the importance of respecting EU Treaty values (fundamental rights, democracy and rule of law) in the upcoming EU Internal Security Strategy. A rights-based approach to security strengthens public trust, social cohesion, and institutional accountability, ultimately making societies more resilient to security threats. Further, this submission sets out how ENNHRI and NHRIs can support a human rights-based approach to security in the EU and identifies areas referenced in the call where further cooperation can contribute to peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Notably, the ENNHRI submission highlights following: + Strong and independent NHRIs are key actors for building sustainable peace in their society. They can take a holistic approach towards addressing human rights violations often both a cause and consequence of violent conflict and can support the prevention, management and resolution of conflict as well as peacebuilding. + Terrorist actions are inherently characterised as human rights abuses and require immediate and coordinated responses from state authorities. NHRIs are instrumental in ensuring that counter-terrorism measures and law enforcement actions align with human rights. + New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) may present risks for security, and for upholding rule of law, democracy and human rights, including through the amplification of disinformation. NHRIs address these risks, a role that has also been reflected in the context of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, where various NHRIs in EU Member States are appointed as fundamental rights body. + A human rights-based approach to border management contributes to enhancing security while addressing the risk of trafficking of human beings, smuggling and violation of human rights, especially those of migrant groups in vulnerable situations. NHRIs play a key role in monitoring, promoting and protecting migrants rights, particularly at borders and helping ensure accountability when violations occur. Strengthened security efforts will imply that greater budgets are devoted to security in the coming months and years. ENNHRI highlights in addition the importance to ringfence and maintain dedicated funding for upholding the EU values that the security framework would be in place to protect, including in view of the ongoing work on the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework to shape an effective and strategic EU budget. ENNHRI remains available to cooperate with the European Commission and EU agencies on this initiative, and further specific actions in this area. The Strategy can contribute to meaningful engagement between the European Commission, EU agencies and independent human rights actors such as ENNHRI and NHRIs, recognising that delivering on the EU's commitment to a safer and more secure Europe for all is only possible if the EU Treaty values of democracy, fundamental rights and rule of law remain at the centre of EU actions.
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Meeting with Sophie Wilmès (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Feb 2025 · Rule of law

Meeting with Věra Jourová (Vice-President)

21 Nov 2022 · Rule of law

Meeting with Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

23 Jun 2022 · Fundamental rights and Rule of law

Meeting with Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Wojtek Talko (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

7 Jun 2021 · Fundamental rights

Meeting with Alvaro De Elera (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

6 May 2021 · Rule of Law

Meeting with Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

26 Jan 2021 · Human rights

Response to New Pact on Migration and Asylum

27 Aug 2020

(please refer to the file attached) As state-mandated bodies, independent of government, with a broad human rights remit, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) are a key player in the protection and the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. This includes promoting and protecting the rights of migrants. The European Commission’s plan for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum, as well as the policy and legislative initiatives that will follow, present an opportunity to address the systemic gaps and violation of human rights of migrants, asylum applicants and refugees in Europe. Human Rights Defenders, including NHRIs, have repeatedly raised such concerns and have put forward concrete proposals that reconcile migration and border policies with safeguarding human rights. The situation is particularly problematic at borders, where violence, denial of access to asylum, unlawful detention and inhumane treatment of migrants, including children and people in vulnerable situations, continue. Accountability for human rights violations, which is an integral aspect of the respect for the rule of law, is inexistent or deficient in many of Europe’s borders. We recommend the European Commission to ensure that the New Pact: • Recognises the primacy of human rights: when devising new policy and legislative instruments, the European Commission shall put human rights first. As “guardian of the Treaties”, it shall monitor and ensure the application of EU law throughout the EU, including when it concerns Member States’ respect for migrants’ rights, at all times and including at the borders, as laid down in EU and international law. • Contributes towards better protection of human rights at borders: the new Pact should contribute to preventing and resolving systemic issues leading to violations at borders, such as the widespread use of immigration detention, challenges of access to asylum procedures and the use of border or other expedited procedures without sufficient safeguards. • Strengthen existing monitoring bodies and human rights defenders, including NHRIs: governments must work constructively with NHRIs and respect their mandates, and the EU should speak up if governments act in reprisal against or do not cooperate with them. The EU and Member States should also ensure that human rights defenders, including NHRIs, are enabled and sufficiently resourced to do their work, in contrast to the restrictions and cases of criminalisation seen in many European countries. The European Commission should work closely with NHRIs in the field of migration because: • NHRIs have a strong legal basis and are independent: they are established under a state’s constitution or domestic law to promote and protect human rights, giving them solid legal ground to monitor and report on human rights of migrants. • NHRIs cooperate with other human rights defenders, such as civil society organisations and other independent bodies, such as National Preventive Mechanisms and Ombuds institutions (where they are not the same body). • NHRIs are part of a broader human rights accountability system: they use their findings to bring about positive change. As state-mandated human rights experts, they are ideally placed to assist government and national authorities in respecting international human rights law and standards. • Some NHRIs have other mandates under national and international law: while all NHRIs have a broad mandate to promote and protect human rights, some are also designated as the National Preventive Mechanism or are Ombuds institutions. • NHRIs have strong networks at national and regional levels: at the European level, they work together through ENNHRI, bringing a strong, unified voice to regional actors, such as the EU and Council of Europe. We encourage the European Commission to consider ENNHRI’s publications and statements, as well as submissions from individual NHRIs, when developing the New Pact.
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Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

17 Feb 2020 · Consultative meeting on the comprehensive European Rule of Law mechanism