death_penalty_new.qxd 02-08-27 12:57 Page 15 OTHER INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND INSTRUMENTS The Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union27 Article 2 of the Charter provides that no one shall be condemned to the death penalty or executed. The Charter is not a legally binding instrument but it does guide the policy of EU Member States28. 27 28 The Charter was signed and proclaimed by the Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission at the European Council meeting in Nice on 7 December 2000. In addition to this instrument, the EU also takes an active stance against the death penalty in its relations with accession countries and third countries. Firstly, the abolition of the death penalty is a pre-requisite to accession to the EU. It forms an element of the political criteria of the Copenhagen Criteria agreed by the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993. Secondly, the EU has developed Guidelines on EU policy towards third countries on the death penalty. These Guidelines provide that in its relations with third countries, the EU will work towards the universal abolition of the death penalty and insist that the death penalty be carried out in accordance with international standards. Accordingly the EU makes general demarches on the subject of the death penalty in multilateral fora and specific demarches on individual death penalty cases in third countries. 15