The Treaty of Lisbon has endowed the EU with a normative human rights framework that confirms recognition as a fully-fledged regional mechanism for the protection of human rights. The aim of this book is to contribute to the growing discussion of the external human rights dimension of the European Union. Its theme sits at the crossroads between International and EU law, Human Rights, and Political Science. In moving beyond well-covered topics such as the protection of human rights within the EU, or their relevance for the accession of new Member States, this book asks the broader question of whether EU human rights law has any real relevance on a global scale. In total, The EU as a 'Global Player' in Human Rights gives an overview of the international relevance of EU human rights law by means of exemplary case-studies of the EU’s institutional and substantive protection of human rights, whilst consideration of non-European perspectives from China and Japan underline its global focus. This book will be of particular interest to researchers, students, and practitioners in International and European law, Human Rights Law, European studies and International Relations.

Layered Global Player offers a concise but thorough overview of the principles of EU external relations law. By closely examining the role of the European Union on the global scene, it aims to provide a systematic overview of the relevant rules and competences, reflecting the legal developments in their historical and political context. The book contains up-to-date analyses of topics such as the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the Common Security and Defence Policy and the Common Commercial Policy. Moreover, it devotes specific attention to the EU’s external powers with regard to the environment, fundamental human rights and development cooperation. It also includes a dedicated chapter exploring the relations with neighbouring countries, as well as one that elucidates the complex interplay between rules of domestic, European and international provenance. Overall, this book couples an innovative design with comprehensive coverage and an engaging style of writing. Its compactness and accessibility enable readers to master the main features of this dynamic field of law with ease, making it an indispensible resource for scholars and practitioners alike.

It has now been almost two years since the Treaty of Lisbon took effect. The time was characterized by an intensive and controversial discussion between the European Union (EU) institutions and member states on the setup of arguably the most important institutional innovation besides the new post of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR): the European External Action Service (EEAS).The EEAS has the purpose of serving its head, HR Ashton, in fulfilling her tasks of, inter alia, conducting the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and increasing the efficiency and coherence of EU external relations. Regarding hither to the execution of EU foreign policy, the HR admitted in the run-up to the establishment of the EEAS that “the EU can be too slow, too cumbersome and too bureaucratic”1. With the setup of the new diplomatic service the EU wished to overcome occurring difficulties that result out of the complex net of responsibilities that characterise the external relations of the EU and thus ‘give the EU a stronger voice around the world, and greater impact on the ground’2.Given the fact that the EEAS constitutes a whole new de facto institution without predecessor and was therefore built from scratch,it is very interesting from a political scientist point of view to see where and how the new service is positioned in the institutional architecture of the EU system. Since the EEAS was ought to bring together rather intergovernmental (e.g. CFSP) and supranational (e.g. development cooperation) policy spheres of EU external action, a discussion on how it can be scrutinized by grand theories of European integration seems to offer valuable insights.In section 2 this research paper first takes a deeper look at two of the most influential grand theories of European integration, neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism. Basic assumptions and logics of the two approaches will be used to build indicators with which the overall research question of the analysis will be assessed: ¿can the two grand theories explain the institutional setup of the newly established EEAS? The empirical examination of the topic,which will mainly be based on the relevant treaty provisions and the existing decisions and reports of the EU institutions on the EEAS, follows in section 3 of the paper. Furthermore, findings of various academic articles that dealt with the EEAS in the last two years are taken into account. A conclusion summarizes the results of the analysis in section 4.

A new look at the European Union's role as a global actor, with special focus on the theme of interregionalism in its relations with key regions around the world: Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Central-Eastern Europe. This new collection clearly shows how, since the end of the Cold War, the European Union has gradually expanded its external relations and foreign policies and become a global actor in world politics. During the last decade interregionalism has become a key component of the EU’s external relations and foreign policies. In fact, the EU has quickly become the hub of a large number of interregional arrangements with a number of regions around the world. Promoting regional and interregional relations not only justifies and enhances the EU’s own existence and efficiency as a global ‘player’, the strategy also promotes the legitimacy and status of other regions, giving rise to a deepening of cross-cutting interregional relations in trade and economic relations, political dialogue, development cooperation, cultural relations and security cooperation. This book was previously published as a special issue of the leading Journal of European Integration.

This book provides the first detailed reconstruction and assessment of the EU's responses to human rights violations in China from 1995 to the present day. Using classified documents in the EU's historical archives and interviews with diplomats, officials and human rights experts in Europe, China and the United States, Kinzelbach lifts the veil of secrecy on the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue and provides a rare insight into how the European Union and China conduct quiet diplomacy on human rights.

This book represents a significant and timely contribution to the copious literature of the EU as a global actor providing new insights and fresh perspectives into the promotion of human rights and international labour standards in the EU’s external trade relations, building on and stimulating further – the already well-engaged – scientific dialogue on this area of research. In particular, it provides the basis for developing a new analytical structure for better understanding the role of the EU in promoting human rights and international labour standards in global trade and, in particular, for assessing the extent to which and how normative considerations have influenced the adoption of EU legal instruments and policy decisions. This book will appeal to research scholars, post-graduate students, practitioners and human rights activists.

Written specifically for students new to the topic, the concise and direct approach of International Human Rights Law will give you all you need to develop a good understanding of the subject. The text provides clear and broad coverage of the primary systems of human rights protection and the selected substantive rights. Key cases and areas of debate are highlighted throughout, and a wealth of references to cases and further readings are provided at the end of each chapter. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the latest changes in international human rights law. It includes a new chapter on sustainable development and the UN's 2030 Agenda, as well as expanded coverage of the challenges posed by non-state actors. Book jacket.