Britannia Radio

SIS Europe – European Security Contact Group Meeting

ISIS Europe and DCAF Roundtable

Communicate, Coordinate and Cooperate

The A-Z of Cohering Crisis Management in the post-Lisbon Era

This roundtable is the second in a series on the spectrum of crisis management organised jointly by DCAF

and ISIS Europe, which will analyse the EU’s crisis management with a number of briefing papers throughout

the new development phase of the EAS and give policy direction during and beyond 2011.

The EU and Crisis Management in Africa

Thursday 17 March 2011

14:00 – 16:00

Venue: European Parliament, Room ASP 5G305, Rue Wiertz, Brussels

Host and speaker: MEP Ana Maria Gomes (S&D), European Parliament, Brussels

Chair: Dr. Philipp Fluri, Director, DCAF Brussels

Speakers:

Dr. David Chuter, Chair of the Board, ISIS Europe and Lecturer, Fondation Nationale des Sciences

Politiques, Paris

Jeremy Lester, Officer on Horn of Africa, East Africa, EAS, tbc

Concept note

The turn of the year 2010/11 saw not only the inauguration of the new European External Action Service, (EAS) but also the holding of the 3rd EU Africa Summit, in Tripoli on 29-30 November 2010. This is therefore an appropriate moment to take stock of both progress and failures in the Europe-Africa relationship, and to ask whether the new institutional arrangements in Europe are likely to enhance the first and reduce the second.

While the adoption of a renewed Joint Africa-EU Strategy Action Plan for 2011-2013 is still pending, the EU is confronted with ongoing and potential crises on the African continent to which it feels obliged to respond. To give but one example, shortly after the South Sudanese referendum on independence, the EU has promised to provide support for the creation of an independent South Sudan. Given the remaining high number of contentious points between North and South, ranging from unclear border demarcations to resettlement of IDPs to distribution of natural resources (oil), the EU will have a hard time defining its role in the new state of South Sudan as well as the geographically reduced state of Sudan itself, as well as differentiating itself from other international actors.

Conceived to streamline the management of the EU’s external policies, the European External Action Service (EAS) could help the EU in attaining a truly comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and crisis management. Following the recent developments in Sudan as well as a series of other ongoing conflicts in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia, to name but a few, it is time to ask whether the EAS is already starting to bring the hoped-for improvement in communication, coordination and cooperation, or whether the underlying problems of intra-European cooperation are so profound that its task is effectively impossible. What resources and departments have led the direction, now that the EU is aiming to ‘depillarise’ its previously contentious division of labour for crisis management – notably with Security Sector Reform (SSR). In particular, what can we reasonably expect from the EAS’ engagement in partnerships and with civil society – both in Brussels, the EU and in Africa - and its role in humanitarian response?

Based on the above-mentioned questions, Dr. David Chuter and MEP Ana Maria Gomes (who has recently visited the country as part of the European Parliament’s observation mission to the Southern Sudan Referendum), will present their ideas on the topic, an EU representative will respond, followed by an audience debate.


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Agenda

Opening and introduction, Dr. Philipp Fluri, DCAF	14:00
Report on the situation in Sudan after the referendum on independence, MEP Ana Gomes	14:10
Presentation of working paper on A Strategy in Search of two Continents: The EU and Crisis Management in Africa, by David Chuter, Fondation Nationale Sciences Poand ISIS Europe	14:25
EU Response, Jeremy Lester, EAS	14:45
Questions and Answers	15:00
End of roundtable	16:00

Information on the debate:

Sebastian Bloching, ISIS Europe Brussels, +32 2 230 7446 sebastian.bloching@isis-europe.org

REGISTRATION required

By 11 March 2011

PLACES ARE LIMITED - To register, please send this reply form to ISIS Europe register@isis-europe.org or Fax +32 2 230 6113.

Questions: contact Sebastian Bloching, ISIS Europe at sebastian.bloching@isis-europe.org or on +32 (0) 2 230 7446