Publication: Human rights factor in the European Union’ s external policy
Abstract
İnsan haklarının dünya siyasetindeki rolü gün geçtikçe artmaktadır. İnsan haklarının giderek artan önemi insan hakları ve egemenlik, insan hakları ve milliyetçilik, insan hakları ve siyasal sistemler arasındaki ilişki vb. konulara dikkat çekmektedir. İnsan hakları, ülkelerin dış politika kararları üzerinde de etkili olmaya başlamıştır. Bu çalışmada da insan hakları konusu yukarıda değinilen bağlamda ele alınmıştır. Ancak çalışmanın daha belirgin (spesifik) bir amacı vardır: İnsan haklarının Avrupa Birliği'nin dış ilişkilerinde bir faktör olarak oynadığı rol. Bu çerçevede, öncelikle Avrupa Birliği Kurucu Antlaşmaları'nda yer alan insan haklarının korunması ile ilgili maddeler incelenmiş, Avrupa Temel Haklar Şartı ile gelişimin son noktası vurgulanmıştır. Avrupa Birliği'nin dış ilişkilerinde kullanmış olduğu araçlar (deklarasyonlar,siyasi diyalog,ortak pozisyon vb) sıralanırken insan hakları maddelerinin yer aldığı antlaşmalara özel bir önem verilmiştir. 1990'lardan bu yana yapılmakta olan bu tür antlaşmalar içinde barındırdığı insan hakları maddesi vasıtasıyla birtakım yaptırımlar içermektedir. İnsan hakları ihlalleri karşısında antlaşmanın askıya alınması ya da durdurulması mümkündür(Cotonou Antlaşması'nda olduğu gibi). Son bölüm, insan hakları konusunun Türkiye-Avrupa Birliği ilişkilerindeki rolü üzerinedir.Son gelişmeler ışığında (Katılım Ortaklığı Belgesinde sözü edilen kısa ve orta vadeli öncelikler gibi)insan haklarının Türkiye-Avrupa Birliği ilişkilerindeki rolü incelenmiştir.
The emergence of human rights as an issue has had several implications in international affairs. The first effect of human rights has been witnessed in foreign policies of nation-states. They (States) have been caught in a dilemma: on the one hand, there has been human rights concerns which have indeed raised as moral imperatives,on the other hand,the long-rooted concept of international system that is sovereignty and non-interference principle. However, in this specific study, the main concern is not concentrated on individual state practices ( though they are to be mentioned briefly) as regards human rights but on the European Union's human rights policy in its external relations.Since it is not a state but still has its own sphere of influence it offers a unique path with regard to human rights. Thus, this study is focused on the role of human rights in the European Union's external relations. In this regard, first a general framework has been drawn.Secondly, the European Union's human rights policy has been put on the table. The integration into agreements of human rights clauses as part of conditionality is significant in this sense;this tool has increasingly been used by the Union to have influence on human rights issues( as seen in the Cotonou and Europe Agreements). The last part has been devoted to a special case study that is the role of human rights in Turkey-European Union Relations.In the light of recent developments such as short and midterm priorities brought by the Accession Partnership ,the role assumed by human rights factor in this relationship has been tried to clarify.
The emergence of human rights as an issue has had several implications in international affairs. The first effect of human rights has been witnessed in foreign policies of nation-states. They (States) have been caught in a dilemma: on the one hand, there has been human rights concerns which have indeed raised as moral imperatives,on the other hand,the long-rooted concept of international system that is sovereignty and non-interference principle. However, in this specific study, the main concern is not concentrated on individual state practices ( though they are to be mentioned briefly) as regards human rights but on the European Union's human rights policy in its external relations.Since it is not a state but still has its own sphere of influence it offers a unique path with regard to human rights. Thus, this study is focused on the role of human rights in the European Union's external relations. In this regard, first a general framework has been drawn.Secondly, the European Union's human rights policy has been put on the table. The integration into agreements of human rights clauses as part of conditionality is significant in this sense;this tool has increasingly been used by the Union to have influence on human rights issues( as seen in the Cotonou and Europe Agreements). The last part has been devoted to a special case study that is the role of human rights in Turkey-European Union Relations.In the light of recent developments such as short and midterm priorities brought by the Accession Partnership ,the role assumed by human rights factor in this relationship has been tried to clarify.