Mechanisms to Protect Human Rights in the EU’s External Relations

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

The protection of human rights in the European Union (EU) has been developing steadily. The EU has its own catalogue of fundamental rights, the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the EU. Human rights in the EU are guaranteed by EU law and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). Now, coherence between internal and external relations regarding human rights is required. The Treaty of Lisbon provides a mechanism for achieving this coherence. That is, the Treaty of Lisbon enables the EU to mainstream human rights in the EU’s external relations. On the one hand, the Treaty of Lisbon provides the EU’s values in Article 2 TEU, and its political principles in Article 21 TEU and Article 3 TEU. On the other hand, the Treaty of Lisbon confers new competences to the EU. Furthermore, the combination of the former and the latter enables the Union to conclude not only international agreements, including human rights, but also international human rights agreements. Furthermore, Article 21 TEU can be used as a means for cross-fertilisation in the context of the protection of human rights.