ENoP welcomes the Joint Communication of the European Commission and High Representative to the Council on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020 – 2024.

With the adoption of the Council Conclusions on Democracy in October 2019, the European Union delivered a strong political message about its ambitions for democracy in external relations.

We therefore believe that the new EU Action Plan should operationalize these ambitions both by emphasizing democracy and human rights equally in the document and by including the relevant civic and political actors in the process of implementation.

The joint communication on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020 – 2024, five chapters in all, contains detailed descriptions of actions for the protection of human rights recommended to a number of European stakeholders, including EU Delegations and Member State Embassies around the world.

The Action Plan delineates recommendations for “protecting and empowering individuals”, “building resilient, inclusive and democratic societies”, “promoting a global system for human rights and democracy”, and “new technologies: harnessing opportunities and addressing challenges.” The logical path for implementation, the means of which are included in the first four chapters, indicates collaboration and “delivering by working together.”