EU human rights strategy: one year on

Exactly one year ago EU foreign ministers adopted an ambitious new strategic framework on human rights and democracy. The appointment of an EU Special Representative for Human Rights and the adoption of 36 key objectives, ranging from the fight against the death penalty to the protection of children's rights, were supposed to help bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality and integrate human rights across the EU's external policies.

However, in many respects, it feels as though it is...