The Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) is a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament. It monitors and promotes respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the European Union's external policies and relations with third countries.

The subcommittee examines human-rights situations around the world, maintains contacts with civil-society organisations and human-rights defenders and contributes to Parliament's resolutions, reports, missions and hearings on human-rights issues.

Responsibilities

DROI is responsible for the human-rights and democracy aspects of the Union's external policy. Its work forms part of the remit of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and contributes to Parliament's scrutiny of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the activities of the European External Action Service.

Its activities include:

monitoring respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law in third countries; assessing the human-rights impact of EU foreign, security, migration, development and trade policies; holding hearings and exchanges of views with human-rights defenders, civil-society organisations, international organisations and government representatives; contributing to Parliament's urgency resolutions on breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law; preparing reports and recommendations on human-rights policy; following the implementation of EU human-rights sanctions and other restrictive measures; examining the work of EU delegations and special representatives on human-rights issues; conducting fact-finding missions and monitoring trials and elections where relevant; and contributing to Parliament's work on the Sakharov Prize.

Parliamentary work

The subcommittee holds regular exchanges with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, representatives of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and other international organisations.

DROI also follows the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy and examines whether the Union's external policies are consistent with international human-rights law. Its work frequently involves cooperation with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development and the Committee on International Trade.

Urgency resolutions and human-rights defenders

DROI contributes to Parliament's resolutions on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These resolutions are normally debated and voted during plenary sessions and may address political prisoners, attacks on journalists, repression of civil society, discrimination, conflict-related abuses and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

The subcommittee also provides a parliamentary forum for human-rights defenders and non-governmental organisations. Public hearings and exchanges of views allow witnesses to present evidence directly to Members of the European Parliament.

Missions and external relations

The subcommittee may send delegations to third countries to assess human-rights conditions and meet government representatives, opposition groups, civil-society organisations and international bodies. Findings from these missions may inform parliamentary reports, resolutions and recommendations.

DROI also monitors the human-rights clauses contained in EU agreements with third countries and the use of human-rights dialogues and consultations as instruments of external policy.

History

The modern subcommittee was established at the beginning of the sixth parliamentary term in 2004. It succeeded earlier parliamentary structures dealing with human rights and external affairs.

On 22 March 2021, the Chinese government imposed sanctions on the subcommittee and several Members of the European Parliament following EU sanctions related to human-rights abuses in Xinjiang. China lifted the sanctions against the Parliament and its members in April 2025.

Chairs

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office Hélène Flautre Greens/EFA France 1 September 2004 13 July 2009 Heidi Hautala Greens/EFA Finland 20 July 2009 21 June 2011 Barbara Lochbihler Greens/EFA Germany 15 September 2011 30 June 2014 Elena Valenciano S&D Spain 7 July 2014 18 January 2017 Antonio Panzeri S&D Italy 25 January 2017 1 July 2019 Marie Arena S&D Belgium 10 July 2019 10 January 2023 Udo Bullmann S&D Germany 6 February 2023 15 July 2024 Mounir Satouri Greens/EFA France 23 July 2024 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The subcommittee currently has 30 full members.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Łukasz Kohut, Poland, Vice-Chair Mircea Hava, Romania Rasa Juknevičienė, Lithuania Ondřej Kolář, Czechia Reinhold Lopatka, Austria Antonio López-Istúriz White, Spain Liudas Mažylis, Lithuania Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Luxembourg Marta Temido, Portugal, Vice-Chair Francisco Assis, Portugal Robert Biedroń, Poland Chloé Ridel, France Nacho Sánchez Amor, Spain Marco Tarquinio, Italy Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Poland, Vice-Chair Emmanouil Fragkos, Greece Małgorzata Gosiewska, Poland Petras Auštrevičius, Lithuania Bernard Guetta, France Urmas Paet, Estonia Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations András László, Hungary Jorge Martín Frías, Spain Silvia Sardone, Italy Matthieu Valet, France Mounir Satouri, France, Chair Catarina Vieira, Netherlands Isabel Serra Sánchez, Spain, Vice-Chair Rima Hassan, France Tomasz Froelich, Germany Non-Inscrits Ľuboš Blaha, Slovakia

Substitute members

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Sebastião Bugalho, Portugal Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Sweden Adrián Vázquez Lázara, Spain Sandra Gómez López, Spain Hana Jalloul Muro, Spain Ștefan Mușoiu, Romania Maria Noichl, Germany Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Ireland Mariusz Kamiński, Poland Bert-Jan Ruissen, Netherlands Waldemar Tomaszewski, Lithuania Barry Andrews, Ireland Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Germany Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Mieke Andriese, Netherlands Thierry Mariani, France Tiago Moreira de Sá, Portugal Jaume Asens Llodrà, Spain Hannah Neumann, Germany Danilo Della Valle, Italy Ilaria Salis, Italy Marc Jongen, Germany Non-Inscrits Ruth Firmenich, Germany

Research support

The subcommittee is supported by the European Parliament's Policy Department for External Relations and its research services. These provide studies and briefings on human-rights situations, democracy, the rule of law, sanctions, human-rights defenders and the human-rights dimension of EU external policies.

See also

Human rights in Europe European Union Special Representative for Human Rights Sakharov Prize European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs European Parliament Committee on Development European Parliament Committee on International Trade European External Action Service EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime

References

External links

Official website Members Resolutions on human rights Supporting analyses European Parliament Think Tank