La Cooperación del Parlamento Europeo y México para la Protección de la Vida, la Libertad y la Seguridad Personal: De Acteal a Ayotzinapa

The contribution is framed in the academic debate regarding the role of parliaments as normative actors in international relations. It analyzes the European Parliament's cooperation with Mexico aimed at guaranteeing the right to life, liberty and personal safety in the cases of Acteal (1997) and Ayotzinapa (2014), by supporting the victims and their families in their search for truth, justice and reparation. Until now, the literature has primarily examined the European Parliament’s diplomatic role in promoting and protecting principles and values shared by the international community, such as respect for human rights, from a Eurocentric perspective. As a result, little has been said about the conditions in the third country or countries concerned by the European parliamentary action that account for the EP’s role as a normative actor. This work contributes to filling in this gap in the literature by comparatively examining the two case studies mentioned above, with special attention to such extra-European conditions. Notably, the contribution demonstrates that the Mexican executive and legislative branches were receptive to the EP’s work, regardless of the general level of rejection or acceptance of international human rights scrutiny that prevailed in the country in each case study. This opening to the EP’s diplomatic activities was related to Mexico's foreign policy priorities in economic and trade matters vis-à-vis the EU, specifically with regard to the conclusion and modernization of the agreement governing relations between the parties.