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Review of EU Policy towards Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

This report was foreseen at the beginning of the project as a methodological tool to enhance the effectiveness of future EU policy recommendations, by assessing the institutional framework in relation to the EU's Comprehensive Approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. This work intervenes at a time when the main research findings have been presented by the WOSCAP teams, and before the preparation of a concrete engagement strategy. This report was firstly delivered in November 2016. Initially, this EU policy review was meant to be a specific and one-off phase within the WOSCAP project, aimed at exchanging with officials on EU institutional level. This interaction would be repeated during the WOSCAP International Conference. However, as leader of the WP5, IRENE considered that an early-on and continuous channel of information between academic research and EU policy makers was paramount for the relevance and impact on WOSCAP future policy recommendations. The EU policy review has therefore been envisaged beyond the initial terms of reference, as a way to establish a continuous dialogue with EU officials.

The report concludes that the launch of the EUGSS in June 2016 has implied significant changes within the EU institutional framework. The interviews conducted prior to the publication of the strategy were relevant in order to influence the process on significant issues such as conflict prevention, mediation, private sector, EU economic diplomacy, or stabilization. Our analysis of the EUGSS has highlighted the focus of EU's external and internal strategies on a societal approach, based on the interests of its citizens. EU societal resilience developed by the EUGSS converges with the research findings of the Whole-of-Society conflict prevention and peacebuilding (WOSCAP) approach, in particular concerning the multi-stakeholder coherence approach. Indeed, the methodology of the WOSCAP project is based on a WOS vision that goes in the same direction as the EUGSS by giving a prominent place to different layers of society. The EUGSS therefore consolidates the direction taken by the WOSCAP project, implying that future research could inspire and impact the implementation of the EUGSS and future EU policies.

Read the full report here.

 

© European Union , 2016   /  Source: EC - Audiovisual Service   /   Photo: Mauro Bottaro


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