EC Donor Scoping – CIUK Conflict Team

Background

Lisbon Treaty Changes and DG DevCo

Since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009, a number of ongoing changes have taken place in the way the European Commission delivers aid, both in process and in substance. In the Lisbon Treaty, development co-operation has been identified as an independent policy area, with its only object eradicating poverty. The treaty also includes the concepts of coherence and consistency—in theory meaning that all policies towards developing countries must take this objective into account, and this objective is equal to any other external policy area (such as security).

To put this into action, the former EuropeAid and DG Development have been merged into one body—DG DevCo (Directorate General Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid), which is responsible for designing EU development policies and delivering aid. It is supposed to simplify communication and act as a single point of contact for development actors. However, although the merger to form DG DevCo technically came into being on 1 January 2011, reorganisation started only this month. It does offer some opportunity for more work on conflict. A new unit for fragility and crisis management is planned—the organigramme was only released in late May—but it remains unclear what the unit will do or its relationship with the European External Action Service (EEAS). The unit will have limited capacity, with only 15 staff. An officer of the unit did make clear that they viewed prevention as the responsibility of the new High Representative[1] and EEAS.

The Instrument for Stability

For complicated and arcane reasons relating to a squabble settled in the ECJ between the Commission and the Council over competence over EU development policy, for several years (and during revision of the EU’s external financing instruments from 2004-2006) the EU was reluctant to fund peacebuilding and conflict prevention activities. And indeed, explicit conflict prevention objectives were excluded from EuropeanCommunity (EC) external instruments (with the exception of the Instrument for Stability) in 2006 due to positions of some member states who felt this over-stepped the Commission’s area of competence.[2]The Instrument for Stability was created in part because of this.

Strategy will now be created by the EEAS, although the Commission will continue play a role in implementation. The EEAS will be in charge of the short-term component of the Instrument for Stability, with DG DevCo playing a role in the long-term one.

European External Action Service (EEAS)

Created in the Lisbon Treaty and officially launched on 1 December 2010, it serves as the foreign ministry and diplomatic corps for the EU, and is under the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. It proposes and implements policy, but the role of making it rests with the Council. It will be around 1,200 people and it will probably be another two years before it is fully in action.

Conflict prevention is an explicit part of the EEAS and the existing prevention instruments will be relocated to the new Service, including the Instrument for Stability, the prevention, crisis response and peacebuilding units, and the CSDP structures. A tentative organigramme of the EEAS distributed by the High Representative has revealed the establishment of a Directoratefor Conflict Prevention and Security Policy, and within it a Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention andMediation Unit. This Directorate is tasked with programming parts of the Instrument for Stability and providing conflict analysis and support to the regional Directorates within the Service. The Directorate could develop into a vanguard office with dedicated focus on prevention, but it remains to be seen whether this new formation can help the EU overcome previous political and bureaucratic barriers to effective preventative action.[3]

The EU’s current multi-year financial perspective ends in 2013. The external financing instruments for peacebuilding and conflict prevention will be established in the next one, now known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, which will run from 2014-2020. The Commission will present its proposal on the main headings of the future budget at the end of June 2011.

What is peacebuilding in the EC?

The EC doesn’t have a single definition of peacebuilding. The 2001 Communication on Conflict Prevention[4] is considered by many practitioners as providing the ongoing strategic framework and logic for the EC’s approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The policy identifies three main objectives:

1) To adapt long-term EU instruments to address the root causes of conflict;

2) To improve the EU’s capacity to react quickly to address conflict risks or seize

opportunities for prevention and;

3) To promote co-operation with international partners.

Current Instruments for Conflict Funding

Until DG DevCo’s role in conflict funding through the thematic development budgets and any new funding mechanisms created under the EEAS are clarified, the main instrument for conflict funding at least through the end of 2013 remains the Instrument for Stability (IfS). CI in Brussels is planning to conduct an analysis or “digest” of the annual action plans of the main EC thematic funding programmes this summer, which could shed more light on funding opportunities within the development programmes, as well as trends in peacebuilding in the EC.

While IfS is now under the new EEAS and High Commissioner, the DG DevCo may also have a role in implementation. For the period from 2006-2013, IfS has €2.062 billion. Of that, most of the funding (73%) goes towards short-term emergencies and recovery work, while the long-term funding is split between both peacebuilding work and counterterrorism, organized crime, trafficking, WMD, and crisis preparedness.

Recent IfS calls CARE UK has considered (such as the Pakistan and Yemen calls) have come under the EU’s Peace-building Partnership. The Peace-building Partnership was created to build the capacities of relevant organizations in pre-crisis situations, for instance to develop early-warning systems, to provide mediation and reconciliation services and to address inter-community tensions. It also addresses measures for improving post-conflict and post-disaster recovery.The type of organizations eligible for support under this instrument is mainly specialist non-governmental organizations.Funding for civil society organizations is provided through calls for proposals.

This year’s IfS Annual Action Plan[5] is expected to be formalized this month, with a 2011 budget of €15 million. In contrast to previous AAPs, it endeavors to cluster interventions on thematic basis (see “Broad Trends” below), including:

  • Natural resources and conflict
  • Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Needs Assessments
  • Mediation
  • Women peace and security
  • Security Sector Reform

The calls for proposals will cover these thematic areas:

  • Media as a tool for conflict prevention;
  • Women, peace and security, in particular women’s participation in political processes;
  • Civil society capacity-building in mediation and dialogue.

Broad Trends in EC Funding

  • Stocktaking of the Peace-building Partnership

A stocktaking and scoping exercise on the future strategic direction of the Peace-building Partnership (PbP) was recently conducted with the assistance of external experts.[6] The study recommended maintaining a broad definition of peacebuilding, but focusing more on regional, multi-country and cross-sector activities rather than diluting impact by distributing disparate country-specific grants. There was also the recommendation to generate learning and develop an evidence base for best practice. It also suggested that ppredominantly country-focused local-level capacity building activities should not be a priority of the PBP.

  • The question of post-conflict job creation is coming up at the EU level.
  • The question of whether the EU’s focus should be on prevention or recovery is also live. At the moment the focus is on recovery, but recent changes, and the new financial mechanisms that could be introduced in the next financial perspective offers new opportunities.
  • Overall, fragility and conflict is high on the EU’s agenda, particularly of the European Parliament.
  • Strong “lesson learning agenda” without defining what that means

[1]The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (currently Catherine Ashton)is the main coordinator and representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy in the EU, replacing the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (the post held by Javier Solana).

[2]For more information see the EPLO Statement on “Linking Security and Development” from February 2011 here: Y:\Conflict\EPLO Meeting Den Haag April 2011\EPLO_Statement_Linking_Peacebuilding_and_Development[1].pdf—with the caveat that this touches on some of EPLO’s controversial positions that are difficult for CARE to grapple with as a multi-mandate.

[3]For more information, see a May 26, 2011, USIP paper“EU Conflict Prevention Revisited: The New European External Action Service”:

[4]

[5] For more information, see Y:\Conflict\Peacebuilding Tools, resources, papers etc\Donor Policies\FPIS_Presentation_Instrument_for_Stability_Draft_Annual_Action_Programme_2011.ppt

[6]Link to the study: