The European Union and National Human Rights Institutions

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the potential of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to transmit and implement international norms at the domestic level, and to transfer human rights expertise to regional and global human rights forums, is increasingly recognised. At a time when the European Union is looking for a more coherent and strategic human rights policy, it is important that policy makers and academics pay more attention to the potential role of NHRIs. This paper aims to highlight opportunities for a more structured cooperation between the EU and NHRIs in a variety of internal and external human rights domains. NHRIs do not replace other stakeholders in the field of human rights and will not always be the most appropriate partner for the EU. However, consistent consideration for NHRIs in the different areas of its human rights policy can help the EU to more effectively deal with various challenges it faces today, ranging from an enhanced outreach at the UN Human Rights Council to the fulfilment of EU citizens’ information needs with regard to fundamental rights and legal remedies. The current EU’s engagement with NHRIs reflects a critical disjuncture between the approach towards NHRIs internally and externally. In order to strengthen its fundamental rights architecture internally, and to enhance the credibility of its external human rights policy and action, the EU should encourage and support EU Member States to establish effectively functioning NHRIs which are in compliance with the Paris Principles. This way, the EU’s engagement concerning the establishment and support of Paris Principles compliant NHRIs in third states will be backed up by its internal initiatives.