The EU as a 'Global Player' in Human Rights?

Following on from the 2008 Kadi-decision by the European Court of Justice, which has been widely discussed as possibly creating a conflict between the UN and the EU, this book explores whether the EU''s human rights order has real and distinctive relevance on a global scale and whether it can be considered as a significant international human rights organisation. The contributions to this volume are clustered around four themes: the EU human rights policies in international institutions; the influence of EU human rights law outside of Europe; whether the EU human rights order has set new substantive rules which are different from other international/regional standards; and the relationship between human rights and economic goals in the EU.

The Treaty of Lisbon has endowed the EU with a normative human rights framework that confirms recognition as a fully-fledged regional mechanism for the protection of human rights. The aim of this book is to contribute to the growing discussion of the external human rights dimension of the European Union. Its theme sits at the crossroads between International and EU law, Human Rights, and Political Science. In moving beyond well-covered topics such as the protection of human rights within the EU, or their relevance for the accession of new Member States, this book asks the broader question of whether EU human rights law has any real relevance on a global scale.

In total, The EU as a ''Global Player'' in Human Rights gives an overview of the international relevance of EU human rights law by means of exemplary case-studies of the EU’s institutional and substantive protection of human rights, whilst consideration of non-European perspectives from China and Japan underline its global focus. This book will be of particular interest to researchers, students, and practitioners in International and European law, Human Rights Law, European studies and International Relations.