EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace Partners in conflict prevention and peacebuilding: How the EU, UN and OSCE exchange civilian capabilities in Kosovo, Mali and Armenia (original) (raw)
Reacting to Conflict: Civilian Capabilities in the EU, UN and OSCE
This report analyses how the EU, UN and OSCE make resources available for civilian missions. It starts with an overview of civilian missions around the world before comparing civilian planning and conduct procedures in these international organisations. The report zooms in on EU civilian capabilities and provides policy recommendations.
Global Affairs, 2018
A stated aim in the EU Global Strategy is for the EU to work with partners in addressing crises across the world. This article analyses such potential in the area of crisis response and peacebuilding, with an emphasis on the EU’s interaction with the UN and OSCE. It starts off comparatively by examining where the EU, UN and OSCE add value in crisis response and peacebuilding and reach complementarities. It shows that deployments differ across geographical locations and that the mandates of these organizations vary considerably with the EU focusing on police capacity building, the OSCE on the judiciary and the UN providing monitoring functions. In the second half, the article uses insights from cooperation between these organizations on the ground in Kosovo, Mali and Armenia to determine levels of interaction. Despite relatively few conflicts between these organizations, we find that they continue to work in parallel with each organization focusing on their narrow mandate and competences.
Mapping Western Balkans Civilian Capacities for Peace Operations
Journal of Regional Security, 2015
Over the past several years the United Nations has increasingly emphasized the role that civilian capacities can play in post-conflict peacebuilding and called for member states to provide expertise. This special issue of the Journal of Regional Security will explore the civilian capacities of the Western Balkans countries and whether there is political will to respond to the call to deploy civilian capacities to UN peace operations and other international organizations. Looking at how Western Balkan countries train, roster and deploy civilian capacities, it will also explore whether increased cooperation in this area could be considered as a security community practice, nurturing bilateral relations and building cooperation in the Western Balkan region. The article finds that there is still a great gap between the expressed policy intent of providing civilian capacities to peace support operations, and putting it into practice. There is also lack of a strategic consideration of how the training and deployment of civilian capacities to peace operations could build legitimacy in international organizations and enhance regional cooperation among the states in the Western Balkans. The article recommends the initiation of a regional dialogue on training and rostering of civilian capacities, realizing synergies and furthering regional cooperation.
Over the past several years the United Nations has increasingly emphasized the role that civilian capacities can play in post-conflict peacebuilding and called for member states to provide expertise. This special issue of the Journal of Regional Security will explore the civilian capacities of the Western Balkans countries and whether there is political will to respond to the call to deploy civilian capacities to UN peace operations and other international organizations. Looking at how Western Balkan countries train, roster and deploy civilian capacities, it will also explore whether increased cooperation in this area could be considered as a security community practice, nurturing bilateral relations and building cooperation in the Western Balkan region. The article finds that there is still a great gap between the expressed policy intent of providing civilian capacities to peace support operations, and putting it into practice. There is also lack of a strategic consideration of how the training and deployment of civilian capacities to peace operations could build legitimacy in international organizations and enhance regional cooperation among the states in the Western Balkans. The article recommends the initiation of a regional dialogue on training and rostering of civilian capacities, realizing synergies and furthering regional cooperation.
EU has taken on the role of guaranteeing long-term stability through different measures of conflict prevention and peacebuilding in two countries of the Western Balkans, which have undergone a severe armed conflict in the 1990s. This paper undertakes an analysis and evaluation of operational capabilities of civilian mission EULEX Kosovo and military operation EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It draws lessons learned from the challenges the missions have faced in this field of functioning, namely operational capabilities. Furthermore, the article provides a quality assessment comparing both missions' operational capabilities, which can lead to improvement in approaches.
The emerging partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) in crisis management is clearly a desirable development. EU can contribute to the UN by providing vital capabilities, especially in rapid redeployment while the UN can confer legality and legitimacy to EU operation thereby enabling the Union to become fairly a global actor, not just economically but also politically. The EU’s commitment to UN peacekeeping mission is truly one of foundations of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The study argues that the EU preference for participating in UN-mandated peacekeeping missions to UN-led operations impedes rather than enhances the EU-UN cooperation in conflict management.
The article will explore the possible emergence of a civilian capacity community in Serbia comprised of Serbian policymakers, researchers and practitioners who are interested in peace support operations and willing to deploy Serbian experts through multilateral organizations such as the European Union, United Nations and the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe. Having recently undergone a security sector reform, Serbia can offer to share relevant experience and expertise with these organizations through secondment or direct hire, in order to support the countries experiencing complex crises or those that are emerging from conflict. Serbian expertise can serve to soften some of the criticism leveled against peace support operations and provide relevant expertise to those in the field.
UN-EU Cooperation in Peacekeeping: Challenges & Prospects
Partnerships between the United Nations (UN) and other International Organizations in the field of Peacekeeping have become a central feature of contemporary Global Security Governance. Since the early 2000s, the UN’s relationship with the European Union (EU) has developed as one of the most institutionalized partnerships of its kind. Yet, even though both organizations pursue similar objectives and seem –on first sight- like natural partners, a wide range of challenges and limitations currently hamper their effective cooperation. This GGI Analysis provides an in-depth analysis of the historical evolution of the UN-EU partnership, of the major elements of its institutionalisation as well as of the successes and tensions that have arisen from joint operations in the field. Examining also more recent cases of UN-EU cooperation, such as in the case of Kosovo and the Chad, the paper identifies major obstacles and challenges and offers several recommendations towards a more coherent and mutually reinforcing partnership.
The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy in the case of the EULEX Mission in Kosovo
Teorija in praksa, 2021
The article considers whether the EU's CSDP missions are a suitable crisis management mechanism for post-conflict situations, along with the EU's relevance in crisis management at all. For this purpose, the EU's biggest CSDP civilian mission EULEX was chosen as a research case study. The research results reveal that EULEX has not implemented its mandate, not met the expectations of security consumers, not made any difference on the ground, and cannot be seen as an example the EU should rely on in its future missions. Further, EULEX shows that CSDP missions suffer from many shortfalls and the EU CFSP from a capability-expectations gap. The article concludes that the EULEX mission does not show the EU's relevance in the crisis management of post-conflict situations.
EU conflict prevention and peacebeuilding in the Horn of Africa and Western Balkans
EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace, 2017
The paper analyses the EU’s capabilities to execute conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Western Balkans and the Horn of Africa. It focuses on capabilities developed under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and whether their application matches up with EU strategies to address security needs on the ground. The purpose of this endeavour is to examine whether the EU’s capabilities are appropriate and sufficient to reach its expectations – and those of others – in preventing conflict and building peace in both regions. This study was the part of Horizon 2020 project EUCiv-Cap https://eu-civcap.net
Civilian Capacities for Peace Operations Case Study -Slovenia
Since its independence, the Republic of Slovenia had unequivocally declared its political agenda: to become a full member of the European Union and NATO. It had achieved these goals in 2004. From then on, Slovenia was - and is - a staunch supporter of Euro-Atlantic integration and enlargement, as well as contributor to the EU, NATO, OSCE and UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. Slovenia may be considered a very useful case study in CIVCAP management for Western Balkans countries, because these countries share political and security priorities and concerns, they have a similar history, operational and military culture, and organisational architecture. Their relatively small military forces make civilian capabilities an excellent supplement to their overall engagement in international security efforts. This publication is a product of a research project “Building Civilian Capacities from the Western Balkans in Peace Support Operations”, financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
EU Peace Support Operations in the Western Balkans Since 2003
2013
The chapter provides an assessment of the main Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions deployed to the region in the past decade. It was in the Western Balkans that, in 2003, the EU launched its first peace support operations in an effort initially to restore stability, and later on in the reform process, to bring the region closer to – and eventually inside – the EU. The Western Balkans have therefore constituted fertile ground for the development of the CSDP and have provided ample opportunity for the EU to learn from experience and to evolve and adapt to its own and local needs. As a result, the CSDP has come to be one of the most potent tools that the EU has available for the transformation of conflict-afflicted areas into zones of stability and order. This chapter demonstrates that, beyond boosting EU capabilities in external action, these missions have played a critical role in reforming security sector institutions and supporting statebuilding in the Western Balkans. However, the ongoing challenges and unresolved political tensions that exist both inside and between the countries of the region point to the limitations that CSDP missions face in consolidating peace."
NATO and Humanitarian Action in the Kosovo Crisis
Humanitarianism and War Project, Brown University, 2000
In the context of the Kosovo crisis, this book analyses the increased role of international military forces in humanitarian action. Outlining major events and providing recommendations to various international actors, it specifically looks at the following issues of interaction of military with humanitarian actors: Operational division of labor between the two; Politicisation of humanitarian action; Tensions between the two institutional cultures; and Implications of the Kosovo experience for the future.
Peacekeeping as a new possible field of cooperation between the EU and Armenia. (pp. 205-212)
This article discusses the possibility of establishing a new field of cooperation between Armenia and the EU in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy Review (ENP). The ENP Review sets up a new strategic agenda, where the EU’s cooperation with its neighbors in the field of security plays an important role. The EU has accumulated significant experience in conflict prevention and crisis management in different regions of the world. This, and Armenia’s active engagement in peacekeeping operations and policymaking internationally can facilitate the dialogue between the parties to discuss the possibility of participation of the Armenian Peacekeeping forces in the EU missions and operations within the framework of the restarted negotiations around a new agreement between the EU and Armenia. Keywords: EU-Armenia cooperation, European Neighbourhood Policy, security, peacekeeping, CSDP.
This article examines Serbia’s capacities to participate in civilian peace operations,including the analysis of legislation regulating international cooperation and contribution to peace operations. Furthermore, based on interviews with representatives of various institutions, it also addresses the key practical challenges that these institutions are currently facing in civilian contribution. It examines the roles of relevant stakeholders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military and thepolice, with potential participants from other branches of government also included in this analysis. The research sample also included local persons working by contract for international organizations in Serbia, in order to examine the capacities they possess. Several challenges and opportunities for further development of existing frameworks were detected therein. Initial interest expressed by various “civil” ministries to contribute to peace operations (Ministry of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Justice) could contribute to building of CIVCAP. Also, existing institutions, such as Office for cooperation with CSOs andGovernmental Department of Human Resources Management could be easily turned into rosters of potential candidates for peace operations. The article argues that a huge potential exists in Serbia,however, its adequate use is prevented by the lack of clear foreign policy goals and coherent government policy. In this regard, the article recommends the government to increase the existing training capacities, coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders and establish two potential rosters of experts.
Serbian Civilian Capacities for Peace Operations: The Untapped Potential
2014
The main finding is that there is a vast, untapped potential in Serbia for a more proactive involvement of its civilian capacities (CivCaps) in missions abroad; yet, the lack of clear foreign policy goals, coupled with the lack of initiative and coordinating efforts on the part of MoFA, impedes their adequate usage. Lastly, recommendations for increasing existing training capacities and establishing two potential rosters of experts are provided.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has gone from being a receiver to providing assistanceto post-conflict countries. Through its experience with rebuilding the country after conflict, BiH can make relevant and useful contributions to further peacebuilding and sustainable development in other countries. This article details current contributions BiH is making to international peace operations, maps the civilian capacities BiH could contribute in the future, and provides recommendations on how this could be implemented with regards to training, rostering and deployment of civilian capacities. Successful training, rostering and deployment of civilian capacities from BiH could be replicated at the Western Balkans level and bear witness to the development of security communities in BiH and the region.
2016
The European Union (EU) and its Members States need adequate capabilities to prevent the outbreak of conflicts and to promote sustainable peace. Preventing wars and fostering peace are two of the most important goals of the EU, as described in the EU Global Strategy (2016) and in the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence (2016). This report aims to provide an overview of Member States’ capabilities in conflict prevention and peacebuilding – namely personnel, procedures and technology – in light of key EU goals in the same domains. While acknowledging that the EU owns some of the capabilities that are suitable for these tasks, this reports is primarily intended to highlight the assets and manpower available at the national level, with a view to understanding how these capabilities might support and strengthen the EU’s external action in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The core of the report maps key capabilities, in terms of personnel, procedures and technologies in four relevant countries: France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.