The European Union is a key actor in the field of human rights, setting global standards for policy-making and implementation. Yet, the EU faces a variety of human rights-related challenges both internally and externally, be it in terms of asylum law, the freedom of speech or social, cultural and economic rights. How are these and other issues connected to changes in the political landscape, and how can we address them in order to strengthen human rights in Europe, in the European Neighbourhood, and elsewhere?

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, on December 10th, 2019, Eamon Gilmore, European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, and Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, talked on “The EU and Human Rights” and took questions and comments from the audience.

The event was organised by Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and supported by the European Parliament and the European Commission and held at Haus der EU.

The talk is available on our audio channel.