The Role of Human Rights in EU-US Bilateral Relations

Abstract

This report aims to analyse the different dimensions and levels of EU-US relations, to survey the instruments the EU uses in this relation and to provide some recommendations for future EU actions. It provides an overview of the main similarities and differences between the EU and the US regarding human rights, and measures the influence of the EU on the state and practice of human rights in the United States. Likewise, this report analyses how the United States may affect human rights in the EU and its Member States, notably in light of US policies that are strongly criticized by the EU from a human rights-based perspective.

Keywords: EU-US relations, human rights, EU external policies, death penalty, surveillance, extraordinary rendition

JEL Classification: K1, K38