ROLE OF EUROPEAN UNION IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
S. ZEHRA ABIDI
The European Union (EU) has enormous potential to contribute to international
efforts to prevent conflicts and promote security and stability. The collective
power of the EU’s member states and the wide range of policy interments
available to the Union open the way for it to become a powerful international
actor. Since the Maastricht Treaty of 1991, it has been committed to establishing
a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). During the 1990s, the EU
has also engaged in a growing range of efforts to promote stability and
prevent conflicts: its ties with and aid to the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
with the countries of North Africa and the Middle East; and support for
conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.
In the Amsterdam Treaty the EU strongly supports these developments and,
since 1991, has been making a concerted effort to develop its organizational
capability respond effectively to these challenges. Three principles are
guiding us viz:
• Primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace of international
peace and stability with the United Nations.
• Wide range of instruments, military as well as civilian.
• Efforts must bring real added value to international crises management.
In relation to operational interaction and, as foreseen in the EU programme
for the prevention of violent conflicts, the EU, through the European
Commission, is intensifying its practical cooperation with UN system and
other regional and sub-regional organizations. The list of possible examples
is long, ranging from support to UN peace_building efforts through the
UN Trust for Preventive Action in order to facilitate early UN action
in the whole range of preventive diplomacy, to support various regional
projects like the African Union Observer Mission in Burundi or the Horn
of Africa initiative.
EUPM in Bosnia-Herzegovina is the first example of the practical possibilities
of UN-EU cooperation in crisis management operations.
The responsibility of the international community, through the UN Security
Council, for peace and security is indivisible. While supporting regional
peace building capacity, the EU and its member states significantly contribute
to UN peacekeeping through active and participation in relevant operations
and activities throughout the world, from the Balkans to Africa and Asia.
It currently has more than 30000 women and men working hard for peace
and UN and UN-mandated operations. The EU member states have troops, military
and civilian police observes and civilian staff in all current UN peacekeeping
operation. In addition to these considerable personnel and other contributions,
they also provide over 40% of total peacekeeping budget. These figures
manifest clearly their strong and unwavering commitment to peacekeeping,
while they remain engaged in a continued dialogue with the UN aimed at
further strengthening their partnership and peacekeeping.
The list of EU interments directly or indirectly relevant to the prevention,
management and resolution of conflicts is long: development cooperation
and external assistance, economic cooperation and trade policy interments,
humanitarian aid, social and environmental policies, diplomatic instruments
such as political dialogue and mediation, as well as economic other sanction,
and ultimately the new instruments of European Security and Defense policy.
EU imposed arm embargo on Indonesia to put pressure on Jakarta to respect
East Timor’s vote for independence in 1999. EU has granted the former
Soviet Republic of Ukraine US$150 million to help its economic reforms.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and European Union (EU)
also reached an accord on Kosovo.
The EU’s biggest regional aid framework covering Africa and Islands
of the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP).other development co-operation frameworks
include the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with countries in North Africa
and Middle East, and PHARE and TACIS which focus on Eastern European countries.
The European Union (EU) and its member state are playing in helping security
sector reform in African, Caribbean and pacific (ACP) countries. The security
sector is taken to mean all those organizations, which have authority
to use of, or order the use force, or threat of force, to protect the
state and its citizen, as well as those civil structures that are responsible
for their management and oversight. It includes (a)military and paramilitary
force;(b)intelligence service;(c) police forces, border guards and customs
services;(d)judicial and penal system; (e)civil structure that are responsible
for the management.
The EU and its member states have made substantial commitments in recent
years to demobilization and reintegration programmes in ACP states.
Since the adoption of its 1997 programme for Preventing and Combating
Illicit Trafficking in Conventional Arms, the EU has become increasingly
committed to tackling the problems created by proliferation of small arms
in developing countries. EU member states have, for example, been active
supporters of the October 1998 ECOWAS small arms moratorium.
The EU and its member states also have a responsibility to ensure that
their provision of financial assistance does not contribute to excessive
levels of spending on military forces. Provision of clearly-accounted
defense budgets should therefore be an element in political dialogues,
especially in countries where there are already concerns that levels of
defense expenditure may be excessive in relation to national needs.
Since 1996, courses on peacekeeping operations have been run at the Spanish
Army Logistics School in Madrid. These two-week courses including lectures
on general and operational aspects of peacekeeping as well as aspects
of international humanitarian law and the Spanish experience; Officers
from nine ACP countries have so far taken part. Other EU countries such
as the Netherlands and Sweden also provide military assistance to ACP
states.
EU countries have a number of police programs in ACP countries at present.
For example as part of a UNDP-financed programme, 30 Spanish Civil Guard
are helping with the reorganization of the Mozambican police on the lines
of the Spanish Civil Academy training future Academy staff. The UK and
Norway are supporting the efforts of the Malawi government to reform their
police force.
The European Commission (EC) provides assistance for the development of
the Palestinian Police Force. The Multinational Police Advisory Force
in Albania is helping to train the Albanian Police as well as observing
police operations at different police stations. It is financed by the
EC, and is composed of police officers from different countries of the
EU.
Support for customs and border guards forms an important part of the program
for Co-ordination and Assistance on Security and Development (Pcased)
police co-operation programme in West Africa, which is supported by several
EU member states, and which is intended to provide practical support for
the regional small arms moratorium. Similarly, the EU is supporting regional
customs co-operation in Southern Africa. Regional police co-operation
in East Africa is also important, although not supported by the EU at
present.
The EC provided funding in 1992 for a training course on international
law for judges, lawyers, human rights activists and other NGO representatives.
The international Commission of jurists conducted the project. Before
1994 the EC provided support for legal assistance to the victims of apartheid.
The EC has also financed programmes designed to improve judicial system
in Malawi and Tunisia. The EC funds the supply of text book and IT equipment
for the High Court and subordinate courts. Sweden has financed education
programs for paralegals in South Africa; Finland has provided support
to the International Judiciary in Arusha and is planning support to reform
of the judicial system in Burundi. Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands
have provided assistance to the justice system in Rwanda.
Denmark, for example, has funded a Defense Management Programme at the
University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, which serves the entire SADC
region.
The EC currently provides funding for the financing of training activities,
carried out by NGOs’ under the budget line ‘Human Rights and
Democracy in Developing Countries. Sweden already has an extensive and
well developed programme of support for democracy, human rights in conflict
management. Priority countries in Asia and Africa include Mozambique,
South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. EU strongly supports UN peace building
actions that prevents the recurrence of conflict and ensures peace and
stability in the future. In this contacts, the firmly believe that UN
should play a central role in post-conflict Iraq, as well as in the other
post-conflict situations.
Conclusion
The EU has enormous potential to contribute towards a more stable and
secure world. To date, however, the CFSP has been too short-term and reactive
in focus, poorly co-coordinated with other aspects of the EU’s external
relations and characterized by a mismatch between state aims and policy
instruments. The new mechanisms and instruments created by the Amsterdam
Treaty and the recently renewed debate on European defense co-operation
create an opportunity for the EU to establish a more effective CFSP and
take a leading role in international conflict prevention efforts. European
political leaders must now take the practical steps to exploit the opportunity.
PREPARED BY
S. ZEHRA ABIDI
CLASS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
M.A. (PREVIOUS)
2003
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