The agency’s annual report warns of rising housing costs, online hatred and incomplete integration of workers from third countries, all putting pressure on fundamental rights in the EU.
The annual report from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), published on Thursday, highlights that property prices increased by 53.4% across the European Union between 2015 and 2024, while rents increased by 16.8% over the same period. This high cost of housing, according to the agency based in Vienna (Austria), puts pressure on social and economic rights, in particular access to housing, dignity and the well-being of households. According to Feantsa, the European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless, 1,287,000 people were homeless in the EU in 2025, exacerbating the risks of violations of the rights to social protection, health and education.
Hindered Online Hate
The FRA notes that more than one in three people in the EU have encountered hateful content online. Despite the existence of European laws to regulate the Internet, their application has encountered difficulties in holding major technology platforms to account and political resistance outside the bloc, weakening protection against discrimination and hate speech.
The report highlights serious problems in the labor market for third-country nationals, who are often overqualified, discriminated against and exposed to exploitation. While support measures for people fleeing war in Ukraine allowed for faster inclusion in the job market, other nationals had to wait at least five years to reach comparable levels of employment rates. Paradoxically, the EU is facing a labor shortage, without succeeding either in attracting graduates or retaining talent.
Sirpa Rautio notes that the unpredictable international environment and ongoing wars affect people’s sense of security and well-being within the EU, increasing the vulnerability of fundamental rights amid persistent inflation in energy, food and housing. The report covers the 27 member states of the European Union, as well as Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, providing a broader view of regional trends.
Mission and recommendations of the FRA
Created in 2007 under Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007, the Fundamental Rights Agency’s mission is to collect and publish objective and comparable data on the situation of fundamental rights in all EU countries, and to provide expertise to European institutions and Member States. It also encourages dialogue with civil society to raise public awareness. The FRA recalls that the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, celebrated on its 25th anniversary on December 7, 2025, must guide national policies, in particular to guarantee affordable housing, fight online hatred and adapt professional integration systems, in order to effectively protect fundamental rights in the face of the cost of living crisis.
