This article aims at clarifying the legal debate concerning the conditionality of the "human rights" clause inserted in the European Union's external agreements. It also aims at fostering an understanding of it that is different from the approach that often posed this clause's conventionalization in opposition to the principles of International Law. By taking into account its conventional dimension, this article not only underlines the originality of the clause but, most importantly, it allows one to assess the implications of its formulation in terms of external public policy, especially when it comes to the International Law of treaties.