The European Union is strongly opposed to the death penalty. The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and the inalienable right to life. It violates the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. There is no evidence to suggest that it acts as a deterrent to crime.

Where retained, it can become a tool for instilling fear, repressing opposition, and quashing the legitimate exercise of human rights, such as the rights to the freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

In-compliance with the principle of non-discrimination remains of huge concern when considering the application of the death penalty. Data suggests discrimination in the application of the death penalty, including on the basis of poverty, economic vulnerability, political opinion, sexual orientation or gender identity, sex, psychosocial disability, and other grounds. Furthermore, no justice system is perfect and free from wrongful convictions. Yet, death penalty sentences remain hard to overturn and the death penalty remains irreversible.

Huge progress has been made towards achieving full-world abolition. Today, two thirds of all the world’s countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice. The General Assembly also made history in December last year when a record 125 nations voted in favour of its resolution calling for a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view towards its ultimate abolition.

The EU is a leading political actor and the world’s largest donor in the fight against the death penalty. The EU remains committed to working towards the abolition in the countries that still make use of the capital punishment – including by working together with duty bearers to explore alternatives to the death penalty and by supporting rights holders.

In line with the EU Guidelines on Death Penalty, the EU consistently raises the issue in political or human rights dialogues with countries that still use capital punishment. It encourages abolition of death penalty, or as a first step the introduction of a moratorium on the use of death penalty.

International law severely restricts the conditions under which the death penalty may be applied. The EU continues to call for the respect of these international minimum standards by countries still using this inhuman punishment, including that the death penalty should be imposed only for the most serious crimes and that international due process safeguards must be fully observed. The EU calls on all retentionist States to promote an open and democratic debate towards the abolition of the death penalty. With this in mind, States should improve transparency and access to accurate information on death penalty procedure, policy, and practice.

Civil society remains at the forefront of the global fight against the death penalty. The EU continues to strengthen partnerships with the aim of achieving this goal in law and in practice. Specifically, we are partnering with the Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition with strong membership in 53 countries and with complementary mandates, including death penalty expertise in advocacy, campaigning, legal representation and complex casework, working in difficult contexts as well as thematic specificities including drug policies, penal reform, terrorism, torture and engaging religious communities, parliamentarians and exonerees.

The United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) is an EU-funded project that pools the strengths and expertise of six of the world’s leading anti-torture organizations (OMCT, IRCT, FIACAT, APT, Omega Research Foundation, REDRESS) in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations and other partners in 100+ countries to strengthen and expand torture prevention, protection, rehabilitation and accountability. Eradicating torture requires a united and collaborative effort: the EU partner organizations work together to amplify their impact and foster resilience, transforming the anti-torture movement into a powerful collective voice. The EU's financial support to the Consortium amounts to €8 million. 

In 2024, the Consortium launched the Voices for Human Dignity multimedia initiative to mark the 40th anniversary of the Convention against Torture by raising the voices of torture survivors, experts, and activists.

The prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is absolute in international law. The EU's strong commitment to the fight against torture and ill-treatment is enshrined in the European Union Treaties and Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The EU follows a comprehensive approach to eradicate torture (prohibition, prevention, accountability of perpetrators, redress for the victims) using all the political and financial tools at its disposal. This is reflected in the EU Guidelines on torture and ill treatment.

The EU encourages all countries to ratify and effectively implement the UN Convention against Torture and its optional protocol (OPCAT) and cooperate with the UN Committee against Torture as well as other monitoring mechanisms. It also promotes the Global Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, a cross-regional effort bringing together more than 60 countries committed to ending trade in goods used for capital punishment and torture, and supports the establishment of international standards in this field.