with respect to specific issues, such as the Guidelines on Torture) and some tools, the new Framework has systematized and made the action by the EU institutions, as well as by the Member States, more streamlined and effective, including in the multilateral context. You probably know very well that the European Union is very much engaged in multilateral fora, particularly the UN, and the Framework again underlines our commitment to continue playing such role. The UN Committee against Torture is one of these playing fields and our engagement will not only continue but will actually be strengthened by the Strategy. Support to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture is another such engagement. Finally, another relevant development in 2012 has been the appointment of a Special Representative, Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis. He is the new Special Representative of the European Union for Human Rights and his role will be to help with the implementation of the Strategic Framework and also to enhance the effectiveness and visibility of the European Union policy on human rights. He will be the EU “voice” on human rights. and a cornerstone of our human rights policy. But before going into the details of our anti-torture policy, I would like to give you a bit of context to some recent evolutions in our general human rights policy that are also relevant for anti-torture and explain why 2012, in particular, was a very relevant year in this area. Now, action against torture is one of our top priorities. To implement the objectives set by the Framework in this area, the EU has two sets of instruments: diplomacy tools provided under Point 17 of the Framework and cooperation assistance, which stands for our role in financing civil society work on issues of prevention and eradication of torture. In 2012, the European Union adopted for the first time a Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy,10 which includes the Action Plan devoted to implementation. It is the first time that the European Union adopted such a comprehensive, unified Strategic Framework for its human rights policy, and one with such wide-ranging objectives and a plan for implementation. Upon adoption, our High Representative, Catherine Ashton, underlined how human rights are a top priority for the European Union and a silver thread in our external action. The Strategic Framework is relevant not only for the European Union institutions (such as the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the External Action Service) but also for its Member States. It represents a common endeavor: all the Member States along with the European Union are committed to making human rights without exception one of the areas where we really go for a collective effort—one of the areas where the European Union will really try to be more effective and more coherent in its policy. So, it’s really an instrument that allows for a wide partnership in order to advance the European Union’s action in the field of human rights. Point 17, entitled “Eradication of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,”13 provides for three lines of actions. One action is our commitment to continuously and actively support and implement UN and Council of Europe anti-torture instruments and efforts that are continuing and enhancing our role in the multi-lateral fora. The second line of action is the promotion of the ratification and the effective implementation of the UN Convention against Torture14 (CAT) and the Optional Protocol to the CAT15. Finally, the third line of action consists in integrating torture prevention measures into all the Freedom, Security, and Justice activities, including those related to law enforcement. When implementing these lines of action, the EU and its Member States are guided by the EU’s main instrument concerning torture: the Guidelines on Torture, with which I trust you are familiar. They were first adopted in 2001 and were then reviewed in 2008 and again in 2012.16 What are these guidelines? They represent the framework to direct our action on the protection, prevention, and promotion of human rights, specifically on action against torture. They do not set new obligations, but they are the political expression of our commitment with respect to preventing and eradicating torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment. They represent a guidance instrument that is applied by the European Union and its Member States, both in bilateral relations and multilateral fora, as well as in the assistance given to NGOs’ projects. For example, in the political dialogues the EU carries out with third countries, when appropriate we systematically raise issues related to torture and ill treatment, and we also, The Strategic Framework sets the policy, the principles, the objectives, and the priorities. It is organized around 97 actions and 36 headings. I will spare you the details. The only one that is really relevant for us today is Heading 17,11 which deals in particular with the action against torture. I will go back to this. As I mentioned, the Strategic Framework will be implemented through the Action Plan, which lasts until December 2014. The Annual Report on Human Rights, which the European Union publishes every year,12 represents one of the instruments to assess the EU performance in implementing the Framework. Therefore, the Framework really represents a sort of watershed in our policymaking. While beforehand the European Union based its action on a series of different legal instruments (i.e. statements on human rights with respect to specific countries or 3