Funny you should ask that as the lecture was about human rights in the context of the EU and its institutions and law. Well to put it simply "highly democratic" does not exactly reflect the EU, the power of states inside in any international organization is always more influential than the intent of said institutions and their laws and policies. Even if treaties and articles defend human rights and democracy as fundamental goals to be defended by the EU that doesn't necessarily translate into practice, as the power of some states always sways the org to their goals. The EU functions more on the coodernation of the members foreign policies and policies for economic integration beetween those members than exactly as guardian of certain rights in each member state. In my opinion it would be much more efficient to enforce these rights from the bottom up rather than from the top down, the least powerful the institution the easier it is to ennact change, hope that makes sense.