16 December 2009 :

The Swedish presidency on behalf of the European Union called on the governments of all countries which still retain the death penalty to abolish the death penalty.
“The EU firmly believes that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights, and calls on the governments of all countries which still retain the death penalty to abolish the death penalty under all circumstances.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the EU calls on all State Parties to the ICCPR to ratify and promote the Protocol.
The Candidate Countries Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia align themselves with this declaration”.