Condemning the general deterioration in the human rights situation around the world and the clear acceleration in the decline of democracy, on Wednesday 21 January the European Parliament called for European measures to reverse this trend.
The 2025 report by Francisco Assis (S&D, Spanish) on human rights and democracy in the world and EU policy on the matter - adopted by MEPs by 421 votes to 120 with 108 abstentions - stresses that effective respect for and protection of human rights and freedoms must be the cornerstone of the Union’s external policy and calls for a revision of the current EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy.
Stating that EU sanctions are a fundamental tool for defending the Rule of law, democracy and human rights, MEPs stress that the mechanisms need to be strengthened to enable them to be applied more widely and more systematically. The European Parliament once again calls on the EU Council to adopt an anti-corruption sanctions regime.
They call for a systematic assessment of the human rights situation in countries that have signed agreements with the EU, and stress the need for a rapid and determined European response in the event of violations.
The EU is also invited to implement robust measures to ensure compliance with international law.
Finally, according to the MEPs, a dedicated budget must be clearly allocated to human rights and democracy in the future Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/kct (Camille-Cerise Gessant)