ABSTRACT
Among the principles inspiring the European Union (EU) we find the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the following UN Covenants on civil, political and economic rights (1966). Moreover, human rights and democracy (HR&D) are at the core of the European integration process (which was built over the ashes of war and genocide) and its long-term aspirations. Invariably, therefore, the foundational recognition of these two principles also reverberates in the EU’s foreign policy and external relations.
