On 16 September 2019, the Council adopted revised Guidelines on EU policy towards third countries on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

The purpose of the Guidelines is to provide practical guidance to EU institutions and Member States, which can be used in their engagement with third countries and in multilateral human rights fora, in order to support ongoing efforts to eradicate torture and other ill-treatment worldwide. They complement other instruments of the EU’s human rights policy, e.g. the EU’s Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy with its Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, the EU’s policy framework on support to transitional justice, and the Guidelines on promoting compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

The Guidelines set out various policy tools as well as operational measures to support third countries in their prohibition and prevention of torture and ill-treatment.