Human rights is the red line, therefore, which the EU can never cross. That red line must be drawn at the right place though. The EU can cooperate with undemocratic regimes. The EU can even cooperate with regimes that violate human rights. It has no choice, or it will never be able to achieve its objectives in areas in which those regimes have power. No one can end the war in Syria, for example, without sitting at the table with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
