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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - IECEU (Improving the Effectiveness of the Capabilities (IEC) in EU conflict prevention)

Teaser

Summary

The European Union (EU) is increasingly affected and challenged by geopolitical changes, increasing impact of conflict on civilians, globalized impact of local conflicts, technological developments and budgetary constraints challenges the Radicalization, the growing potential for individuals to create large security threats and transnational criminality further complicates the security landscape of EU missions. With global interconnectedness, the repercussions of outside conflict are also seen within the EU, and may lead to societal and security challenges within the EU. The key issue for the EU was how to improve its conflict response capabilities to create more lasting impact on the ground and to use limited resources more effectively. Comprehensive EU-security within the EU emphasizes the need for civil-military synergies, which correspond more closely to challenges on the ground and the incorporation of very different perspectives, priorities and operational cultures.

The IECEUâ€“project analysed and assessed best practices and lessons learned with a view to enhance the civilian conflict prevention and peace building capabilities of EU with a catalogue of practices, new solutions and approaches. The three main goals of IECEU â€“project were:
1) Analysing and assessing the current situation of on-going and past missions and operations: to identify effectiveness of EU external actions and the impact in different levels areas
2) Learning from lessons provided by these missions and assessing the different options
3) Providing new solutions, approaches and recommendations for EU to guarantee long-term stability

The IECEU methodology supported to analyse the on-going mission and operation areas from the different levels; strategic, operational and field work/conflict area, and assessed the potential of pooling and sharing the EU capabilities. In all cases, the methodology was a combination of qualitative research (interviews, desk studies, panels of experts), quantitative analysis (surveys) and finally expert analysis of the efficiency of the missions. Our research and analyses was made in order to inform the policy-making and provide options for pooling and sharing the EU capabilities. IECEU -project conducted a review of the literature and the policy frameworks in the EU and internationally. The aim was to provide a creation of new conceptual approaches through co-creative methods which integrate civil, military, practitioner and academic perspectives. The catalogue of lessons identified is provided online as New Media based Online Application (www.ieceulearning.eu) for public audience). Based on the analyses and assessments, policy dialogues and mixed method workshops, IECEU established a set of new approaches and recommendations.

Work performed

IECEU has reviewed the current EU capabilities civilian and military efforts. It provided the current state-of-art related to EU external action institutional structure, EU conflict prevention and crisis management, civil-military synergies, success factors of effectiveness and IECEU Conceptual Framework. The purpose of IECEU Methodology was to successfully complete the effectiveness analyses from the selected case study areas (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR Congo, Libya, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Occupied Palestinian Territories and Afghanistan), host policy level discussions and finally provide recommendations. The findings according to the effectiveness of CSDP missions and operations are presented in the form of Learning Application (www.ieceulearning.eu). IECEU has analysed the potential for pooling and sharing the EU external security capabilities providing a standardisation review and a review of interoperability of resources. Finally IECEU provides new solutions and recommendations tested in policy level with key end users. Altogether IECEU has organised fourteen (14) different workshops or trainings for public related to its results and achievements. IECEU analysed that conflict prevention is considered a key objective of the EU\'s external relations and foreign policy. Similarly, state-building processes seem most effective when a range of tools is employed, but coherence between wide-range of EU actors in humanitarian aid, development and external relations is lacking. Also the awareness of conflict prevention has been raised but that the record of action is mixed with both successes and failures. IECEU considers that EU has at its disposal, it is in a unique position to become an even stronger contributor to international peace and security. IECEU Conceptual framework considers that success factors are conditions that enhance the likelihood or level of effectiveness in EU missions/operations. Related to increasing the efficiency of the EU, and making available capabilities for the EU to deploy to crisis management and conflict prevention, widening the concept of pooling and sharing in the context of both civilian and military CSDP, can offer potential for improving the effectiveness of CSDP activities. According to IECEU research, there are (at least) a few areas that are identified as potential as well as useful for combining civilian and military capability development: communications, information, transport, protection and logistics. Moreover, the EU should map out and consider alternative models on how the CSDP missions are structured, and make better use of mixing contracted and seconded international staff.

Final results

First of all, IECEU has examined the current EU conflict prevention and civilian crisis management capabilities with the key focus on Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) missions and operations. The creation of conceptual framework with six different capabilities and effectiveness analysis supported the IECEU case study researchers to implement their assessments and analysis during the field visits. Moreover, the case studies have gathered key local and international stakeholders together to discuss the crisis management operations, their impact and possible venues to enhance their effectiveness and find opportunities to strengthen pooling and sharing of resources. Also, in 2017 policy dialogue meetings are planned in Brussels, engaging key stakeholders within the institutions to discuss the findings on pooling and sharing and effectiveness. These meetings will be tailored to identify the policy priorities and technological needs in crisis management operations, based on the needs from the field and outlook to the future needs. Beyond from policy and research, the IECEU has developed the NMLA with open access to all public audience. NMLA provides the key findings in the online platform and ensures the learning experiences. NMLA will be strongly integrated to crisis management and peacebuilding trainings and disseminated towards relevant communities. NMLA creation has impacted to engagement of public audience, training communities and higher education providers. IECEU, by its activities, aims to 1) reduce the number of civilian victims in crisis by longterm and preventive solutions and 2) Enhance the interoperability of the resources in peacebuilding and crisis management.