Between Innovation and Stagnation – the EU and the Human Rights Council

The promotion of human rights and the commitment to effective multilateralism are two core objectives of EU external action. Consequently, the EU has repeatedly and publicly declared its strong support for the UN human rights fora and expressed its aspiration to assume a leadership role at the multilateral level. However these ambitions are often not matched by the level of participation and effectiveness that the EU enjoys in the UN human rights system. The EU faces considerable challenges, both internally and externally. They range from securing adequate participation rights and internal cohesiveness, ensuring coherent human rights policies and cross-regional outreach, to strengthening its credibility as a human rights advocate. This contribution examines some of the legal and political issues that are at play as the EU seeks to live up to its aspirations in the multilateral human rights system. Focusing on the EU’s engagement at the premier UN human rights forum, the Human Rights Council (HRC), it maps the obstacles that the EU faces and analyses the strategies employed to overcome them. The effectiveness of these measures is assessed using the Union’s engagement in the negotiation and adoption of HRC resolutions as a proxy. While legal and policy reforms at EU level indicate the Union’s capacity to innovate in times of crisis, much of the EU’s potential remains untapped.