ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the European Union (EU)-Africa relationship in the field of human rights and democracy (HR&D) promotion, against the backdrop of historical ties and recent transformations, which also include the growing role played by new global actors such as the People's Republic of China and the other 'emerging powers'. The founding principles for the EU's international action derive from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ratified by the United Nations in 1948 and its following Covenants of 1966, which established that the rights of individuals can be above those set by their national authorities. As most international donors, the EU discovered the importance of civil society in the struggle for democracy in Africa in the wake of the democratic transition of South Africa, where bottom-up mobilizations contributed to bringing down the apartheid regime, making headlines all over the globe.
