Peace and Justice in EU Foreign Policy: From Principles to Practice

Abstract

The European Union is increasingly engaged in peace processes around the world. The Treaty on European Union lists many principles the EU is to promote in its external relations. Two of these – peace and justice for human rights violations – may be in tension in fragile situations. This article examines how the EU translates the principles of peace and justice into policy and puts them into practice. It draws on analysis of EU engagement in peace mediation, transitional justice and security sector reform at the general level, and on in-depth case studies of EU engagement in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali. It then considers the European Union’s (EU) Framework on support to Transitional Justice adopted in 2015 to consider the likely implications of the EU’s Framework on the EU’s role(s) in supporting justice-sensitive peace processes worldwide.