European Union: Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy

On 25 June 2012, the  Council of the European Union adopted a Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy with an Action Plan for putting it into practice.

This is the first time that the European Union has had a unified Strategic Framework for this vital policy area, with such a wide-ranging plan of action for its implementation.

The key messages of the Strategic Framework are:

  • Human rights throughout EU policy
  • Promoting universality of human rights
  • Pursuing coherent objectives
  • Human rights in all EU external policies
  • Implementing EU priorities on human rights
  • Working with bilateral partners
  • Working through multilateral institutions
  • The EU working together

The Strategic Framework builds on the joint Communication entitled ‘Human rights and democracy at the heart of EU external action – towards a more effective approach’. This was adopted by the European Commission on 12 December 2011 following a proposal by Catherine Ashton. It was in turn the result of a lengthy process of consultations, dating back to the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) at Cordoba in March 2010.

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