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The European Union

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The European Union (EU) was set up by European countries who wanted to build a future of peace and prosperity in Europe. What started in 1957, merely as an economic community between six European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), has become a project which now gathers together 27 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The EU develops and implements a wide range of common policies committed to ensure liberty, democracy, the rule of law, and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. In the building of its relations with non-EU countries and regions, known as 'third countries', the EU commits itself to actively promote and protect human rights, increasnigly with regard to human rights defenders (HRDs). Following the adoption in 1998 of what is commonly known as the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the EU has undertaken to promote its implementation by different means.

In June 2004, the EU adopted the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders for the support and protection of HRDs. Even though they are not legally binding, these Guidelines represent a clear political commitment by the EU Institutions and individual Member States, and tend to become a priority within the EU’s human rights foreign policy.

The EU Institutions

The EU has three main institutions: the Council, the Commission, and the Parliament. The Council of the European Union, made up of the leaders of the 27 Member States, is the main decision-making body of the EU. It defines and implements the EU’s common foreign and security policy and concludes agreements with non-EU governments or international organizations. The work of the Council is prepared by committees and working groups. Human rights issues may be dealt with by the working group on human rights (COHOM) if of a general nature, or by one of the geographical working groups if a specific country or region is involved. The Council is assisted by a General Secretariat, including the Secretary General/High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and his Personal Representative on Human Rights.

The European Commission can be seen as the civil service of the EU. It is led by a college of 27 commissioners, one from each EU country, including a Commissioner for External Relations. The work of the Commission is divided into Directorates General (DGs). The DG External Relations covers all countries except the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP), which are covered by the DG Development (under Commissioner for Development). The DG External Relations has a human rights unit which has global responsibility, including ACP countries. In the area of external relations, one of the main tasks of the Commission is to implement cooperation agreements with countries outside the EU.

The European Parliament is composed of 785 members (MEPs) elected by the citizens of EU countries. They will be 750 after the European Parliament elections in 2009. The Parliament has a consultative role in relation to the Council and Commission concerning external relations. It must give its assent to international agreements. Perhaps most importantly, it exercises political supervision over the Commission’s and Council’s activities, including in the area of human rights. The Parliament’s work is organized into committees, including a committee on foreign affairs and its sub-committee on human rights.

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