EU-GRASP

Changing Multilateralism: The EU as a Global-regional Actor in Security and Peace

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'GRASP aims to contribute to the analysis and articulation of the current and future role of the EU as a global and regional actor in multilateral security governance, in a context of challenged multilateralism, where the EU aims for “effective multilateralism”. This project will examine the notion and practice of multilateralism in order to provide the required theoretical background for assessing the linkages between the EU’s current security activities with multi-polarism, international law, regional integration processes and the United Nations system. The project’s work plan will consist of the following components: (i) conceptual integrated analyses of the evolving concepts of multilateralism and security and the EU’s role as a security actor; (ii) case-studies of the EU’s approach to a number of specific security issues (regional conflict; terrorism; WMD proliferation; migration; energy and climate change; and severe violations to human rights); (iii) a transversal comparative analysis applying and integrating the case study findings; and lastly, (iv) a foresight study, building off the project’s findings that will detail scenarios for future EU policy towards external security relations and multilateral approaches to threats and challenges. The research will be policy-oriented and include a strong interactive dimension, in order to assure ongoing feedback from the target-public. The work will be undertaken by a consortium of European research centers that have already collaborated on these issues (FP6). This group is enlarged by the inclusion of a number of institutes from outside the EU (Israel, Canada, South Africa and China) that will bring in further expertise on specific security issues in addition to important regional perceptions, necessary to avoiding a narrow Euro-centric approach and enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the role of the EU on the global stage.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Natural and man-made threats in Europe need more proactive measures to ensure a more peaceful and secure society for its citizens.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Our planet's security is being undermined in a number of ways, ranging from climate change and migration to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The EU has initiated a number of projects that investigate man-made and security threats in order to mitigate hazards and ensure the safety of its citizens. One of these initiatives was the EU-funded project EU-GRASP (Changing multilateralism: The EU as a global-regional actor in security and peace).

The project analysed security issues through case studies and outlined scenarios for future EU policy on external security relations. It assessed security concepts, aiming to bridge the gap between security theory and governance in an EU context.

One central objective was to build a comparative and sophisticated methodology that transcends the traditional notion of security. Another was to map bilateral, regional and global cooperation that the EU is involved in. Work in these two directions yielded more robust and comprehensive research, including 23 case studies on 6 security issues selected by EU-GRASP. The topics involved regional conflict, terrorism, WMD proliferation, energy security in light of climate change, severe human rights violations and migration.

Also noteworthy was the foresight exercise that identified key variables likely to affect future multilateral security governance. This included a workshop to identify probable future scenarios, and a workshop for EU policymakers to outline security and policy implications for each scenario.

An interesting and very relevant finding regarding security was the role of social media in political instability, such as during the Arab Spring. The project team pointed out how social media and blogs play a vital role in social communities and civil society, implying that top-down communication is losing much of its credibility. This has great bearing on the making of nations and the breaking of dictatorships, and it is rapidly reshaping the world around us.

Overall, the project organised 23 events and released 134 publications on the topic, including 12 policy briefs, 30 working papers, 6 upcoming books and many peer-reviewed journal articles. The findings of EU-GRASP will support EU decisionmaking and its role in security governance, helping the bloc to refine its security strategy and promote safety. Europe's quest to be a safer and more stable continent for its citizens has just come one step closer to being realised.