Public Group on Fragility and Crisis Situations

INTRODUCTION

The EU’s Engagement in Situations of Conflict and Fragility

SUMMARY

• The EU engages with over 50 countries affected by conflict and fragility.
• The EU has a track record of contributing to conflict mitigation, stabilisation, reconstruction and rehabilitation.
• EU evaluations point to strengths arising from the EU’s comparative advantages but also to areas for improvement.

The European Union (EU) engages with over 50 countries affected by conflict and fragility.

• The EU has Delegations in the 50 or so countries that can be considered in situations of conflict or fragility. Beyond the Delegations, there are 12 EU Special Representatives (as of January 2014). Nearly all Special Representatives work in fragile and conflict-affected countries or regions, or on fragility-related themes.
• The EU’s engagement in situations of conflict and fragility spans a wide range of interventions (Graph 0.1). The engagement also involves other issues that can directly affect fragility and conflict, such as trade, investment, global economic governance and financial regulation, energy, the environment and regional integration.
• In 2012, the EU’s development cooperation with countries in situations of conflict and fragility represented EUR 4.9 billion (a budget managed by the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development – EuropeAid, or DEVCO), or 59 % of total EU assistance. This makes EU institutions the second-largest provider of assistance in situations of conflict and fragility — after the United States and before the World Bank. The top three recipients of such assistance in 2012 were Egypt, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Annex 6). Taking a longer view, over 2000–12, the top three recipients were the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan and Ethiopia (1).
• The EU is also engaged in situations of conflict and fragility through electoral observation missions and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. There were 16 CSDP missions in July 2014, civilian and military, representing over 7 000 personnel (Graph 0.2).

The EU has a track record of contributing to conflict mitigation, stabilisation, reconstruction and rehabilitation. For example, it has made ‘significant contributions to development, peace and stability’ in Ethiopia (2012); it has ‘succeeded in implementing the support to the Palestinian Authority in difficult circumstances’ (2013); and in the East and South Neighbourhood Policy Regions, ‘EU support stimulated regional policy dialogue and contributed to stability’ (2013). Regarding justice and security reform, the EU ‘has substantially increased its engagement globally though funding, development of its concept and utilisation of a wide range of financial and non-financial instruments’ (2011). With regard to integrated border management and organised crime, one of the EU’s ‘major successes was the contribution to fostering international border management policy exchange and inclusive cooperation between countries that until recently had been involved in conflict or dispute’ (2013). And, in the EU’s support of human rights and fundamental freedoms, ‘evidence of results and positive impacts has been identified in relation to both the promotion and protection of human rights’ (2011).

Evaluations point to recurrent strengths arising from the EU’s comparative advantages, but also to areas for improvement. These strengths include the high relevance of EU support, respect for national ownership and a multi-sector/holistic approach. The EU’s comparative advantages include (i) its long presence, making it a reliable partner, (ii) its critical mass in terms of financial support, (iii) its wide range of instruments and (iv) its recognised thematic experience in sectors. However, evaluations also point to areas for improvement — notably increasing low efficiency, improving the quality of political dialogue and setting more realistic time frames.

1 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statistics on official development assistance, available at http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/. These data do not include military common security and defence policy missions, which are not funded by development assistance.

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