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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 12/03
Building Conflict Prevention into the Future of Europe
Claire Piana
November 2002
Abstract
The Convention on the future of Europe is critical for the role of the European Union in the promotion of a more peaceful world. This roundtable sought to gain feedback on EPLO's contribution to the debate. EPLO's paper, which is entitled “Building Conflict Prevention into the Future of Europe”, makes recommendations on how to mainstream conflict prevention in the EU Treaty. It is based on the vision of a EU that is inclusive, democratically accountable, and promoting a more peaceful world.
The opening session entitled “Conflict prevention as an objective of EU policy” identified the progress the EU has made in conflict prevention, as well as the improvements that can be made to the actual conflict prevention mechanisms. The session emphasised the important role played by the Commission in conflict prevention and crisis management and the progress made in dealing with conflict prevention since its Communication on conflict prevention of 2001. It was also underlined that the key asset in conflict prevention is political will.
The second session was entitled “Building an integrated approach to crisis management”. This session focused on the different aspects of conflict prevention and crisis management. It was stressed that both conflict prevention and crisis management required civilian and military instruments. It was also noted that the borderline between conflict prevention and crisis management is extremely fuzzy and that although major improvements have been achieved during the past three years in crisis management at the EU level, the early warning and pre-crisis stages still need to be improved.
The third session, “Strengthening the democratic accountability of EU foreign and defence policies” focused on the role of the European Parliament and of national parliaments in the EU CFSP and ESDP. It was emphasised that under the current inter-institutional agreement between the EP and the Council of the EU, article 21 of the Treaty on the EU, which requests that the Council informs the EP on its activities, is not being respected. Delegates commented that the pillar structure sometimes made full transparency, and therefore accountability, more difficult. This called for a flexible and imaginative approach.
The final session of the conference introduced EPLO's recommendations to the Convention. It was reiterated that civil society has a crucial role to play in conflict prevention and crisis management. It was also stressed that an integrated approach was needed within the EU structures, as well as between the EU, the UN, governments, and civil society, to make conflict prevention an effective policy.
