Lambrinidis appointed EU's first human rights envoy
by Daniel Mason
Ashton announced the appointment in Brussels today. "Human rights are one of my top priorities and a silver thread that runs through everything that we do in external relations," she said. "With his talent and huge experience, Mr Lambrinidis will be a tremendous asset to us. I look forward to working with him in putting the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy at the heart of EU external action, and enhancing the coherence, effectiveness and visibility of our work in this field."
Greek socialist Lambrinidis, 50, described it as a "remarkable honour". He said it would "have to be a team effort, everyone will have to work together – and I hope I can be the person to facilitate this". He was selected by Ashton ahead of other candidates including French human rights ambassador François Zimeray and Finland's Astrid Thors. A statement published by the Council of the EU said the role had been created to "enhance the effectiveness and visibility of EU human rights policy" and Lambrinidis would have a broad, flexible mandate, giving him the ability to adapt to circumstances".
An attorney by trade, Lambrinidis was a member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2011, and served as one of its vice-presidents in his last two years there. He was deputy chairman of parliament's civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee between 2004 and 2009. Between June and November 2011 he was foreign minister in the government of Greece's then Prime Minister George Papandreou. Earlier in his career Lambrinidis was chairman of the committee for human rights in the Bar Association of Washington DC.
The appointment was welcomed by Dany Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the parliament. "The creation of this new post is an important signal of the priority the EU gives to the promotion of and respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law," he said. "The nomination of such a high profile figure as Stavros Lambrinidis is most welcome and will help reinforce the effectiveness and visibility of the human rights dimension of EU external action."
Meanwhile the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Guy Verhofstadt, said the creation of the special representative sent a "very powerful signal to all the EU's partners that we take the matter extremely seriously". He added: "Stavros Lambrinidis has the profile and personality to develop this role and make the EU's soft power felt across the world as a standard bearer of basic human rights and democracy."
Barbara Lochbihler, chairwoman of the parliament's human rights subcommittee, said: "The special representative must be a reliable voice for the people who suffer human rights violations. He should keep an eye on the bilateral and multilateral relations of the EU and monitor the implementation of human rights with international partners: in foreign and economic policy as well as development cooperation. Last but not least, there must be coherence between the EU's internal and external policies as regards human rights."
George Vlahov questions the wisdom of assigning the post to a former Greek foreign minister in the context of Greece's consistent human rights violations
How about Catherine Ashton giving some consideration to the 'democratic process' in her hand-wringing human rights work and bringing the 'humans' in the EU the 'right' to vote for our political representatives? Ashton has never stood for, let alone won, an election of any sort - ever. She is a totally unelected implant in a position that assumes considerable power.
I do not want this person representing my interests and I do not want to be forced to pay tax to pay her wages, or run the vastly expensive 'service' her office creates. Fat chance. This is the new Soviet but for that we can squeak all we like. Regardless, nothing will change. Those in the EU should not kid themselves that they are anything grander than dictators, who just don't need to bulldoze bodies into a trench in the woods at night - not yet anyway.
EUbrainwashing
What an ironic choice. On July 10, Human Rights Watch raised an alarm over rising xenophobic attacks against migrants and refugees in Greece. "Xenophobic violence is a pervasive, shocking and well-known fact", stated HRW. "We are not seeing an adequate response from the Greek state. We found arrests are rare and police inaction the general rule". In addition, Greece does not recognise the civil rights - or even the identity - of any of its large ethnic minorities including Macedonians, Albanians, and Turks. In Greece, everyone is Greek.
James - Dearborn, Michigan
Human rights are not just rights. Human rights as an ideology is a school of law. Working at the heart of all law, it is a global legal doctrine. They are human values. As a norm of norms, they are the Grundnorm of Kelsen. Every right relates to every other right; and all rights relate to all aspects of human life of 'we the peoples of the United Nations' everywhere in all times and circumstances.
Illustrated together, they can be perceived as an infinite circle with millions of radii converging always at one essential centre, the Grundnorm of respect for human dignity. These are universal values. In order to do justice to the very essence of human rights and human dignity, Ashton will do good service to universal human dignity not using 'human rights as' one of her top priorities and a silver thread that runs through everything that we do in external relations' as an element of European foreign policy alone, but as an EU universal concern for the respect of human dignity of 'we the peoples of the United Nations'.
It is time that the 'nation State' shells, created through 1648 Westphalia Treaty, went burst and humanity as a whole emerged as one infinite ocean in which every single human being counts as unique. That is the spirit of human rights as a school of law and human rights as a global legal doctrine at the very core of global law in every form and norm. I hope that Ashton and Lambrinidis go that way.
Professor Dr. S.R.S. Bedi - Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, India
James - at last check, irredentism and identity theft hardly qualifies as 'human rights'. Please remind us why you former Yugoslavians are now pretending to be related to ancient Macedonians as well as claiming large tracts of Greece as occupied territory? Have you already forgotten your government's recent past assurances about your 'Macedonian' identity?
Anonymous - Canada
@Anonymous - wow, what a fantastic leap in the discussion. I suggest you read my post again. Do you dispute the findings of Human Rights Watch? Incidentally, this same organisation has also made criticisms of Greece in the country's treatment of and policy toward its large Macedonian minority. This is why you bring up the discredited red herrings of "irredentism" and "identity theft" - which are distractions from the real issues.
James - Dearborn, Michigan
