Human rights in European foreign policy: success or failure for post-modern diplomacy?

Abstract

The foreign policy principles proclaimed by the Member States of the European Community in European Political Cooperation were founded upon the ideas which underpinned European integration: the abandonment of Westphalian norms and respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. From the Copenhagen Declaration in 1970 to the Treaty on European Union in 1992, the Member States developed certain means to promote these values, such as the submission of joint démarches and the adoption of common positions in international organizations. But the political constraints of the Cold War in general prevented the Member States from implementing vigorously the values which they endorsed. The end of the Cold War, the references to human rights and democracy in the TEU and the establishment of a Common Foreign and Security Policy with improved instruments for foreign policy cooperation raised hopes that human rights might come to play a more prominent role in European foreign policy. However, economic competition and conflicting national interests continue to restrict Europe's common foreign policy on human rights issues to declarations of concern rather than action.