December 9, 2011
Posted: 16:52 PM UTC
by Fernanda Faria on December 9, 2011
Last week, stakeholders involved in the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding have presented and endorsed an agreement on a “New Deal for engagement in fragile states” at the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan. Fernanda Faria analyses what’s new in the New Deal, its potential and some of the challenges to engage differently in fragile states. Fragile and conflict-affected countries are often rated among the poorest and least developed. International aid to these countries focuses on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and aid effectiveness, which do not address conflict, security and justice ...
November 25, 2011
Posted: 14:35 PM UTC
by Andrew Sherriff on November 25, 2011
++ SERIES: ECDPM ANALYSIS OF NEW EU DEVELOPMENT POLICY REFORM PROPOSALS ++ When it comes to violent conflict, the common mantra is that prevention is better (and cheaper) than cure. This is also illustrated by the findings of a recent evaluation of support to conflict prevention and peace building. In Georgia, for instance, the contracted amounts to be spent by the European Commission increased from €19 million in 2007 before the escalation of a conflict with Russia, to €72 million in 2008, the year of the clashes, and €116 in 2009 as a result of ...
November 18, 2011
Posted: 14:19 PM UTC
by Andrew Sherriff on November 18, 2011
++ SERIES: ECDPM ANALYSIS OF NEW EU DEVELOPMENT POLICY REFORM PROPOSALS ++ The Arab spring and recent evolutions in Europe’s development policy have focussed those concerned with EU external action on new EU buzzwords of “deep democracy” and “inclusive growth”. Yet other developments over the last 12 months provide somewhat of an indication of how the EU institutions plan to deal with longer-term approaches to conflict and fragility. This article outlines the EU’s approach and takes a closer look at the institutional setup and discusses findings of a recent evaluation. The challenge of dealing with ...
November 8, 2011
Posted: 12:49 PM UTC
by ECDPM Challenges Team on November 8, 2011
ECDPM is currently reflecting on the content and orientation of the next issue of its annual Challenges Inbrief. This publication is published at the start of each year, and aims to identify key issues for policy making for EU-Africa relations in the year ahead. The paper, in traditional ECDPM style, aims to be informative and ‘facilitating’, helping readers identify key debates and moments in EU development cooperation and external action. The writing process provides us with an opportunity to take a step back from our day to day work to look forward and to reflect ...
September 23, 2011
Posted: 21:16 PM UTC
by Andrew Sherriff on September 23, 2011
In the field of foreign policy and external action, the promise of the European Union’s (EU) Lisbon Treaty was for a more integrated and coherent EU, with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service (EEAS) at the helm. The EEAS has just published the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel region, and as it is one of the first integrated geographic strategies put forward under the new institutional setup, it might be read as an indicator for the future of EU ...
July 29, 2011
Posted: 12:15 PM UTC
by Fernanda Faria on July 29, 2011
A couple of decades into a prolific debate in both academic and policy circles, including within the EU over the last few years, the concept and terminology of fragile states remains vague and controversial. However, the debate has undoubtedly had its merits. It has raised awareness to the implications of state fragility and to the complexities of state building. It has played an important role too in focusing the attention of the international community on some of the most neglected countries and populations around the world. The fragile states debate has also brought attention to ...
July 14, 2011
Posted: 14:56 PM UTC
by Maria Angeles Alaminos Hervas on July 14, 2011
The creation of the world’s newest state, South Sudan, on 9 July is the consequence of an overwhelming vote for secession in the Self-Determination Referendum held in January 2011 in southern Sudan - more than 99% of voters opted in favour of separation from the rest of the country. The referendum was part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, after years of negotiation, by the Government of (North) Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) ending Sudan’s second civil war. CPA provisions include nationwide elections (held in 2010) followed by a ...
April 11, 2011
Posted: 12:44 PM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on April 11, 2011
Earlier this week, the European Commission published the 2010 annual report on the activities of the EU-funded African Peace Facility (APF). The APF was created in 2004 as an innovative instrument for EU support to African-led peacekeeping operations on the African continent. It has received EURO 740 million since its inception. For the past two years the APF operates under an enlarged scope that includes pre-conflict and post-conflict phases. One noteworthy innovation of the APF mentioned in the report is the Early Response Mechanism under which the EC funded several mediation operations in 2010 including ...
April 11, 2011
Posted: 12:41 PM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on April 11, 2011
Nicu Popescu writes on EU Observer that the revolutionary upheaval in the EU’s Southern neighbourhood and the failures of reforms in most of the Eastern neighbourhood are begging for a revised EU approach to the neighbourhood policy (ENP). In March, the EU presented some ideas on ‘a partnership for democracy and shared prosperity’ with the Southern Mediterranean. Some time in May, the EU will present also a full review of the ENP. A central concept of the updated ENP is the idea of ‘more for more’ – the EU should give more political and financial ...
March 28, 2011
Posted: 16:57 PM UTC
by ecdpm on March 28, 2011
The newest issue of ECDPM’s Europafrica bulletin introduces the nine new senior appointees in charge of sub-Saharan Africa, six of whom worked in almost identical positions for the EC’s DG Development before they joined the European External Action Service. As part of EEAS’ Africa entity, whose final designation has not yet been decided, they will be responsible for strategic planning of EU relations with Africa, programming and the financial allocation. This new institutional setup will have implications for the EU policy towards Africa, amongst many pressing questions are how the EEAS will approach EPAs and ...
