On 28 May 2018, the General Secretariat of the Council published the EU’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world in 2017. The report draws a picture of the EU’s human rights efforts in its external actions. The chapters are structured thematically and include country-specific examples. They refer, for instance, to civil society and human rights defenders, freedom of expression, torture and other ill-treatment, the death penalty, business and human rights, etc.

The report concludes that, in 2017, the EU reaffirmed its role as a leading global proponent of the promotion and protection of human rights. The EU’s Action Plan on “Human Rights and Democracy” (2015-2019; see Council doc. 10897/15 of 20 July 2015) was well implemented. In this context, human rights dialogues with third countries played an increasingly important role.

One trend in 2017 was the backlash of civil society. The EU promoted an enabling environment for non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders through bilateral dialogues, financial support, and in multilateral fora.

The revision of the EU Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child marked a milestone in 2017. The guidelines set out the EU’s overarching strategyto strengthen efforts to ensure the rights of the child. They confirm that the EU will continue to stand up for the rights of all children to reach their full potential.