Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) and Baltic Human Rights Society (BHRS) have won a tender to join the European Union Agency’s for Fundamental Rights (FRA) multidisciplinary research network. BHRS together with the RGSL for the next 4 years will offer research and data collection services on fundamental rights issues to facilitate FRA’s comparative analyses.
FRA is an independent centre of reference and excellence for promoting and protecting fundamental rights in the EU. It provides independent, evidence-based advice to EU and national decision makers, thereby helping to make debates, policies and legislation on fundamental rights better informed and targeted. In order to achieve this, FRA consults and cooperates with its partners on collecting and analysing information and data through socio-legal research.
Joining the European Union Agency’s for Fundamental Rights (FRA) multidisciplinary research network is a significant step for development of RGSL as an interdisciplinary research centre. As the RGSL academic personnel and students will be involved in the FRANET research activities, participation in the network will ensure the connectivity with the study process and its results at the RGSL study programmes, in particular, Public International Law and Human Rights Masters programme, says Dr.Inga Jēkabsone, researcher and a member of the joint team of experts.
BHRS Legal director and leader of the FRA consortium in Latvia Dr. Arina Melse stresses that independent expertise has a great significance in improving the human rights situation. “We are honored to cooperate with FRA and participate in the promotion of human rights in the EU and strengthening the European integration.” BHRS recognizes this cooperation with FRA as a great opportunity to increase the organizations’ input in improving the human rights situation in Latvia, as well as a chance to further cooperation with various partners on national and international level.