European Union Advocacy

The EU comprises various decision-making bodies. The European Commission is the EU’s executive body which proposes EU laws and ensures that member states follow them. The two legislative bodies are the European Parliament, directly elected by the public throughout the EU, and the Council of the European Union, comprising representatives from member states.  

Amnesty International lobbies all of these institutions to ensure that the EU puts human rights protection at the heart of all of its policies. Our work includes letters to representatives, briefing documents, meeting MEPs or other EU officials, taking part in committees or round-table discussions. We give prominence to and provide information on human rights abuses, and recommend how the EU should act on them.

Our work with the EU covers: asylum and migration, human rights in the EU (including counter-terrorism, discrimination, criminal justice), economic and social rights (including the rights of Roma and corporate accountability), and EU foreign relations.