Respect for Human Rights as a General Objective of the EU's External Action

Abstract

This paper aims to provide an accessible and primarily descriptive introduction to the issue of respect for human rights as a general objective of the EU’s external action. It does so from a legal perspective, starting with a brief historical overview which will show that the initial reluctance to explicitly articulate the EU’s commitment towards human rights has given way to a legal framework which firmly places human rights at the centre of the EU’s external relations (Section 2). The main EU actors as regards the task of formulating, implementing and monitoring the external relations policy of the EU, including its global human rights policy will be subsequently described (Section 3), after which a broad overview of the EU’s policy framework (Section 4) and main external instruments (Section 5) will be offered. This paper concludes with some critical remarks on the EU’s professed aspiration to establish itself as a global promoter of values and the recurrent challenges it has faced on this front and in particular the need to improve the coherence and effectiveness of its human rights external policy.

Keywords: European Union, Human Rights, External Action

JEL Classification: K33