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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2025

TA-10-2026-0014 · P10_TA(2026)0014 · PE776.918

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This resolution on the EU's annual human rights report condemns global democratic backsliding and human rights abuses, and calls for stronger EU action to defend human rights, democracy, and multilateralism worldwide. It demands robust funding and conditionality for human rights in EU external action, including a dedicated budget in the next multiannual financial framework and enforceable clauses in agreements with non-EU countries. It calls for expanding sanctions, protecting human rights defenders, and addressing issues like gender-based violence, freedom of religion, and corporate accountability.

Key points

  1. Condemns global human rights violations, democratic backsliding, and attacks on civil society, journalists, and human rights defenders.
  2. Calls for the EU to counter authoritarianism and protect free and fair elections, including from foreign interference and disinformation.
  3. Demands action against gender-based violence, including rape as a weapon of war, and calls for criminalising rape based on lack of consent under EU law.
  4. Calls for protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights, and condemns denial of safe abortion as gender-based violence.
  5. Condemns misuse of digital surveillance and AI by authoritarian regimes, and calls for safeguards on technology exports.
  6. Calls for defending multilateralism, supporting the UN, ICC, and ICJ, and enforcing ICC arrest warrants.
  7. Deplores deletion of the thematic programme on human rights in the proposed Global Europe instrument and demands a dedicated budget and earmarking.
  8. Calls for expanding the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to include corruption and transnational repression, and for qualified majority voting on sanctions.
  9. Calls for strengthening support for human rights defenders, including increased funding and flexible mechanisms.
  10. Calls for abolishing apostasy and blasphemy laws, and for appointing an EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.
  11. Calls for enforceable human rights clauses in EU agreements and for a complaint-handling portal for violations.
  12. Calls for recognising transnational repression as a specific threat and for measures to combat it.

Who is affected

  • Human rights defenders, civil society organisations, journalists, and religious minorities worldwide, who face increased persecution and would benefit from EU support.
  • Women and girls, particularly in conflict zones, who face gender-based violence and need protection and support.
  • Non-EU countries receiving EU funding, which would need to establish independent national human rights institutions to be eligible.
  • Businesses, which are called to ensure their operations do not implicate human rights abuses and to face accountability.

Figures and deadlines

  • 29 % of the world's population lives in liberal democracies, down from 52 % in 2009.
  • 51 journalists and media workers killed, 527 detained, 25 taken hostage, and 142 missing since 1 January 2025.
  • 272 million children and young people are out of school, an increase of 21 million.
  • 10 050 high-risk human rights defenders supported in 2024, 51 % of whom were women.
  • 35 human rights dialogues and consultations organised in 2024.
  • More than 380 million people affected by persecution of Christians.

Legal basis: Articles 2, 3, 8, 21, 23 and 36 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 17 and 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union