The Commissioner for justice, freedom and security, Franco Frattini, also expressed "satisfaction" for the establishment of the Agency: "We must promote fundamental rights, if we want to have a Europe we can all be proud of he states . A Europe rich in diversity, in which people fit in and live side by side, overcoming gender, race or other inequalities". The Commissioner adds: "The European citizens support this goal; according to a recent survey, 73% of them want more decision-making power for the EU to promote and protect rights. The Agency will be an essential resource to this end". The new Agency, which will be based in Vienna, aims according to its internal regulations at "providing the bodies concerned in the Community and in the member states with assistance and advice on fundamental rights, in the implementation of the community law, so as to help them fully respect such rights when they take measures or set forth initiatives in their areas of jurisdiction". The Agency will be "a data-collection and -processing body, a body that will be able to express judgements". It will work all over the EU, and membership will be open to the applicant countries as well as to the countries that have signed membership agreements (Balkans).
