Human Rights Among European Policies

Kurzbeschreibung des Forschungsprojekts

The EU is uniquely placed to protect and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law within and beyond its borders. In spite of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and its commitment to put fundamental rights and freedoms at the very heart of the EU’s external and internal policies, however, the EU has been confronted with a range of challenges to this plight, including the fragmentation of human rights-related competences among its Institutions and in relation to its Member States; the coherence between its internal, external and overall human rights policies; and the growing contestation of the legitimacy of human rights norms in external affairs by a number of third countries.

the project "FRAME - Fostering Human Rights Among European Policies" aims to provide the necessary building blocks for the development of comprehensive and coherent European Human Rights Policies, including: (i) a sound knowledge base taking into account the evolving factors, concepts and instruments underlying the protection and promotion of human rights at the EU, international and national levels; (ii) a critical examination and appraisal of the EU’s real and potential contribution to global human rights governance through its engagement with actors and its wide-ranging policies and instruments; (iii) a thorough scrutiny of the effectiveness of human rights promotion in the maze of EU institutions, competences and policies; and (iv) a set of indicators, tools and policy proposals allowing for a consistent and tailor-made integration of human rights into EU external and internal actions and policies.