Former member of EU Parliament: Multipolar intl order calls for diversified human rights models

Former Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and European Parliament Member Adrian Severin answers questions during an exclusive interview with China.org.cn in Paris, France, on May 21, 2026. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Former Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and European Parliament Member Adrian Severin called for a paradigm shift in global human rights discourse in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn during the 2026 China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights. He urged a move away from Western-centric models toward a pluralistic framework aligned with the emerging multipolar world.

Severin told China.org.cn that the post-WWII order has collapsed. In its place, a century of Asia is dawning, with China's Confucian traditions of harmony and collective responsibility offering a vital alternative to Western hyper-individualism.

Central to his argument is the rejection of a single human rights model. "Human rights are products of history, geography, and social organization—not abstract universals," he stated. Drawing on his UN experience, he emphasized that political systems evolve uniquely within each society. Attempts to impose external models often function as "human rights imperialism," which would destabilize nations and undermine the very stability required for rights to flourish.

Severin highlighted development as the bedrock of dignity. Citing his travels in Xizang Autonomous Region and across China, he observed no signs of neglects of human rights. He praised China's eradication of extreme poverty as a transformative achievement, noting: "When economic development covers social needs—food, housing, healthcare, education—human rights naturally blossom." This contrasts with Western societies, he argued, where competitive inequality often erodes stability.

Crucially, Severin positioned China-Europe cooperation as essential to global stability. While acknowledging Europe's historical ties with the U.S., he stressed that the transatlantic framework no longer suffices. A strategic pivot toward Asia—focused on peace, development, and reciprocal exchanges — is imperative. "China's century of humiliation is over; it is now a central architect of new global order," he stated.

Severin closed by reiterating the "minimal denominator" of human rights: the universal human pursuit of happiness and dignity. Beyond that, diversity must prevail. "We are all different, yet we are all equal," he reflected. 

The seminar has brought together over 150 officials and human rights scholars from China and European countries on May 21st, providing a platform for in-depth exchanges and cooperation on human rights development between China and Europe.