人權理念在歐盟對外關係中之角色

The Concept of Human Rights in the Foreign Policy of the European Union

包括政治、經濟、社會基本權利之人權概念，在二次世界大戰之後，已經漸由各種民間團體所呼籲推展的社會價值運動，日益普遍地成為多數民主國家法治體系之具體內容，在聯合國體系與歐洲地區先後由各國簽訂了人權公約，將人權之體現、維護與充實做為各國政府承諾的統治施政義務，同時也成國際間相互合作及監督的項目。歐盟各國一方面基於其宗教理念背景以及百餘年社會主義所主張之公平正義訴求；二方面因為在上次大戰期間受到法西斯政權嚴厲的迫害，所以在戰後期間便不遺餘力地推動人權政策，並將人權內容之落實做為歐盟與其他國家建立政經關係以及提供財經背景援助之重要前提。冷戰結束，使意識型態與軍事對抗淡出國際政治主流，更讓人權政策在國際關係上凸顯其重要地位。而歐盟各國在推展人權政策方面之長期努力，也確實促進了世界的和平與穩定。

The European Convention for the Protection of the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), established under the auspices of the Council of Europe and based in Strasbourg, France. The ECHR system is widely accepted as the most advanced and effective international regime for formally enforcing human rights in the world today. Since 1953, when the ECHR came into force, it has sought to define and protect an explicit set of civil and political rights for all persons within the jurisdiction of its member states. The fifteen states of the European Union, also members of the Council of Europe, not only inscribed these human rights principles in their founding treaties (Treaty of Rome 1958, Treaty of Maastricht 1993), but also implemented them in the political and economical relations with the other countries of the world. With diplomatic persuasion and financial incentives combined, the European Union has showed successful influences on the international human rights enforcement, which.in certain degree helped to maintain and improve the peace and stability of the world.