The EU, as it often claims, is based on a “strong commitment to promoting and protecting human rights…” not only amongst its member states but also in international politics. Art. 21 of the Lisbon Treaty, in fact, claims that “the Union’s action on the international scene shall be guided by the values that have inspired its own foundation”. Thus, not only are human rights important in defining the EU globally, but they represent essential blocks upon which the Union itself is founded. Nonetheless, recent trends have shown that the block’s cohesion behind human right issues might be frailer than imagined. Before one can assess the EU as an international actor who upholds human rights, attention must be turned to the situation within.