study human rights mainstreaming in eu's external relations - EIUC

DG EXPO Policy Department
human rights by maintaining contacts with NGOs, doing surveys on the human rights
situations in the country concerned, and reporting on that. In the years that followed, the
COHOM has continued to report on the implementation of the 2001 Council Conclusions,
keeping track of specific initiatives and measures undertaken in this respect.
More recently, the Personal Representative of the Secretary General/High Representative
(PR/HR) on Human Rights in the area of CFSP became directly concerned with
mainstreaming human rights in external relation. The Personal Representative is appointed
by the European Council in order to foster coherence and continuity in the Union’s human
rights policy in external relations. So far, two individuals have occupied this position:
Michael Matthiessen between 2005 and 2007, and Riina Kionka from 2007 until present.
Matthiessen was personally involved in drafting the COHOM’s paper on mainstreaming
human rights in CFSP. Kionka has promoted the 2008 compilation on the mainstreaming of
human rights and gender within the ESDP.
Within this broad framework, the European Parliament (EP) has contributed to the
mainstreaming of human rights in external relations in different ways. When discussing
mainstreaming, the 2001 Commission communication refers to the ‘democratic legitimacy’ 79
of the Parliament and its contribution through its missions to third countries, the contacts it
has with human rights organisations and defenders, and participation in EU electoral
missions. The Commission provides the Parliament “with regular updates on the activities
undertaken and an evaluation of how far its objectives have been achieved” 80 . In the same
perspective, the Council views the Parliament’s involvement in external relations as
indication of the ‘openness’ of the policy. The 2002 COHOM report states that COHOM itself
is to work more closely with the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee – and the latter’s
Human Rights Working Group – which “would allow Parliament’s views to feed more
effectively into preparatory work on EU positions and resolutions and to human rights’
policy more generally” 81 . The COHOM is also to provide more developed reactions to EP
reports on human rights and human rights resolutions.
Finally, the contribution of NGOs and civil society actors to the mainstreaming of human
rights in external relations needs to be highlighted. In fact, the Council openly involves civil
society in both the preliminary and final assessments of human rights dialogues 82 . NGOs
have also actively promoted human rights guidelines, often in conjunction with EU
Presidencies. In some cases, like that of the guidelines on human rights defenders, typical
NGOs concerns for securing the protection of activists are explicitly addressed. NGOs,
conversely, have tried to influence the agenda of human rights mainstreaming by raising
79 European Commission (2001) “Communication from the Commission to the Council and the
European Parliament - The European Union’s role in promoting human rights and democratisation in
third countries”, p.6.
80 Ibid..
81 Council of the European Union (2002) “Draft Council conclusions on the implementation of the
follow-up to the 25 June 2001 Council conclusions on human rights and democratisation in third
countries”, p.10.
82 Council of the European Union (2001) “European Union guidelines on Human Rights dialogues”,
para.7 and 10.
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