EU Special Representative Lambrinidis: The Union must promote human rights smartly, without compromising its values
The year 2016 was a difficult one for human rights, but it also highlighted the status of the EU as a defender of human rights, said Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, who visited Helsinki in early February. He discussed trends in the EU’s human rights policy with Finnish human rights experts and ministry officials.
Lambrinidis considers that the present situation is often seen as bleaker than it is. There have also been successes, such as democratic developments in Myanmar, the end of the drug war in Columbia and the gradual release of more than 100 political prisoners in Azerbaijan due to international pressure.
Bolder talks
Lambrinidis promoted engaging in conversation also with those countries with grave human rights concerns. The EU should not, of course, abandon the condemning of human rights violations, but positive legislative amendments may be seen as an opportunity. Regional aspects may be leveraged: advances in one African country, for instance, may be pointed to as a positive example in talks with other Africans.
But how can the EU advocate human rights in other countries when there are major problems in Europe itself, such as racism? Lambrinidis stressed that the rule of law, a free press and civil society allow us to talk about real problems and to find sustainable solutions. These are things that we can demand, even of countries that accuse the West of promoting its own interests under the guise of human rights. Human rights disputes are about tensions within cultures, not between cultures.
Be logical
In the lively discussion, Lambrinidis wished that the EU would be more coherent. The Member States occasionally find it difficult to establish shared positions concerning human rights violations in other countries. Shared and publicly declared positions must be reached. Apart from that, Lambrinidis expressed the wish that countries nurturing their partnerships would use their trust capital for silent but direct human rights diplomacy vis-à-vis their partner countries in order to improve their human rights situation.
Lambrinidis noted that along with sustainable development we should speak of sustainable security and of the contributing factors of insecurity, such as social inequality or environmental contamination. He pointed to the incarceration of more than 20,000 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt with no specific criminal charges as a poor effort to increase security. Will there be any less violence when all these embittered people are eventually released?
EU points the way in business and human rights
The discussion also touched on smart human rights policy. Should we only act when we can achieve quick results, or should we look at the big picture? In any case, the EU must stick to its core values. They are the most valuable capital in the EU’s foreign policy.
Certain countries outside the EU and a number of human rights organisations are calling for a legally binding human rights instrument to regulate the operations of transnational corporations. Lambrinidis explained why the EU is reluctant to commit to such a binding agreement. The important thing at this moment is for governments to demonstrate willingness to act to implement the already approved UN principles. Human rights violations must be addressed, whether committed by transnational corporations or domestic companies. Lambrinidis noted that the EU is a pioneer in promoting human rights in business, while measures in the countries demanding a new treaty have been much more modest.
Stavros Lambrinidis has been the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights since 2012. He was previously the Foreign Minister of Greece and a Member of the European Parliament. The Special Representative is the EU’s human rights advocate in respect of third countries and the civil society.
Rauno Merisaari and Juhana Immonen
Rauno Merisaari is Ambassador for Human Rights and Democracy and Juhana Immonen works temporarily in the Unit for Human Rights Policy.