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 ...
March 28, 2011
Posted: 16:42 PM UTC
by ecdpm on March 28, 2011
After its meeting held on March 21, the EU Foreign Affairs Council recalls that security and development cannot be separated in the Sahel region and it supports the EU’s integrated approach as well as the objectives of its political strategy, including the primary focus on Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. In view of the EU’s commitment to cooperate with local authorities, civil society and regional and international bodies, including the AU and ECOWAS, the Council stresses that the High Representative should take forward consultations on the strategy with these partners. The EU plans to engage around ...
February 28, 2011
Posted: 03:55 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on February 28, 2011
The European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) applauds the creation of the European External Action Service’s Directorate for Conflict Prevention and Security Policy and within it a Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention and Mediation Unit, but calls for the allocation of more staff to the unit to enable it to fulfil this role. EPLO also calls for the unit to be more integrated with the other EU bodies which play a role in conflict and security policy.
February 19, 2011
Posted: 06:25 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on February 19, 2011
The European Peace building Liaison Office believes that the EU can significantly increase the peace building potential of its development assistance programmes. In this briefing note, EPLO provides an explanation of the links between development and peace building and the need for conflict sensitivity. It also provides an assessment of some of the practical implications of strengthening links and some specific recommendations to the EU institutions on how to do this.
January 31, 2011
Posted: 08:49 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on January 31, 2011
The EU’s ability to act on human rights situations deteriorated in 2010 because responsibilities in the post-Lisbon Treaty structures were confused David Nichols of the Human Rights and Democracy Network told members of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Sub-Committee meeting on 10 January. Véronique Arnault, Director for Human Rights and Democracy at the European External Action Service (EAS) agreed that the human rights language in EU declarations had suffered due to “teething problems”, but noted that stronger statements are now being made linking human rights situations and reinforcement of bilateral relations. Arnault informed MEPs on ...
January 31, 2011
Posted: 08:45 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on January 31, 2011
This report from Saferworld critically assesses China’s growing role in Africa and its effect on both the factors that drive conflict and those that promote peace. The report takes a thematic approach, looking at a number of topics: China’s bilateral relations with African states; its military co-operation with their armed forces; the China-Africa arms trade; China’s relations with African regional organisations; its involvement in international co-operation; China’s role in peacekeeping and peacebuilding; and its economic engagements on the continent. The report draws on a wide spectrum of views and perspectives from Chinese, African and international ...
January 28, 2011
Posted: 12:18 PM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on January 28, 2011
The European Parliament’s Human Rights Sub-Committee held an exchange of views on 10 January on the functioning the European External Action Service (EAS) with Véronique Arnault, Director for Human Rights and Democracy at the EAS and David Nichols of the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN). Nichols argued that the EU’s ability to act on human rights situations deteriorated in 2010 because individual responsibilities in the post-Lisbon Treaty structures were confused and he hoped the new institutional set up would rectify this. EU declarations were either not made or the ones that were used more ...
December 20, 2010
Posted: 11:26 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on December 20, 2010
Relations between the European Union and its partners in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) are in a parlous state. Past readers of ECDPM’s annual Challenges Paper know that we regularly refer to ACP-EU relations as being at a critical juncture, and this is certainly true at the start of 2011. The EU’s credibility in much of the ACP is at an all-time low, and in the EU many seem to have lost faith in the future of the partnership with the ACP. Moreover, there is a collective failure to recognise that in the ...
December 20, 2010
Posted: 11:24 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on December 20, 2010
Prior to launching the full evaluation of the European Commission’s support to conflict prevention and peacebuilding (CPPB) the EC’s Joint Evaluation Unit required that a concept study be undertaken to clarify the approach and questions to be tackled. ECDPM contributed to this. A part of the study was to tackle the key question of what is meant by an “integrated approach” to CPPB which is often seen as key to the EC (and EU as well as other agencies) vision for engagement. The concept study notes that there are four different, but inter-related, elements of ...
December 8, 2010
Posted: 06:41 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on December 8, 2010
A study by the Istituto Affari Internazionali, EU Institute for Security Studies and Chatham House entitled “Consolidating African and EU assessments in view of the implementation of the Partnership on Peace and Security” compares and aggregates existing data to offer an overall analysis of the progress achieved towards a functioning African peace and security architecture. It aims to identify guidelines for a comprehensive and coherent approach to African peace and security, which encompasses both capability development and enhanced cooperation at the political level. Another paper by the Institute of Development Studies entitled “Multi-level Governance and ...
