Annexes to COM(2014)717 - 2013 Annual Report on the Instrument for Stability - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2014)717 - 2013 Annual Report on the Instrument for Stability. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2014)717  |
| date | December 2, 2014 |
- The fight against illicit trafficking of CBRN materials and deceptive financial practices is on-going, with actions in Central Asia and South East Asia and North Africa. A second contract has been signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to contribute to a new Nuclear Material Laboratory to be used by IAEA Safeguards Analytical Services in Seibersdorf, Austria. In addition Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, and the DRC received support for detection of radiological and nuclear material.
- A Biosafety and Biosecurity strategy for the EU neighbourhood has been started in the EU Neighbourhood South and East through the implementation of the outcome of the EpiSouth project (17 non-EU partner countries and 10 Member States). The EpiSouth network, primarily limited to the Mediterranean basin, has been further extended to include Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. This strategy, through the exploitation of the EpiSouth network of countries, has generated four major projects all launched at the end of 2013. The first and largest is the “MediPIET” project that continues the training of intervention epidemiologists contributing to the overall objective of enhancing health and biosecurity in the neighbourhood. Its objective is capacity building for the prevention and control of natural or man-made health threats posed by communicable diseases. The second biological project, under the leadership of the World Health Organisation (WHO), is investigating emerging bacteriological diseases and aims to reinforce public health for emerging bacteria pathogens (anthrax, Tularemia, plague, tuberculosis, etc.) and antimicrobial surveillance networks for possible outbreaks. A third, parallel project, “Medilabsecure”, under the leadership of the Pasteur Institute, follows the risks linked to emerging and re-emerging viruses affecting humans and animals and creates a network of entomologists. A fourth project, led by the WHO, aims at increasing health security globally by assisting countries in enhancing and strengthening capacities for prevention, detection, control and response to public health events related to activities at sea, air and land point of entry, of international travel and transport. The approach is multi sectorial and aims at minimizing the risks associated with natural or deliberate release of pathogens.
- In 2013, the elimination and destruction of the chemical stockpiles of Syria has been supported financially by the CBRN initiative of the IfS programme. After modification of the AAP 2013 programme, the EU allocated EUR 12 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the neutralisation and incineration of the Syrian chemicals in cooperation with the international community.
7.3. Pre- and post- crisis capacity-building (IfS Article 4.3)
From 2007 to 2013 €103 million were allocated to support some 140 projects building and strengthening the pre- and post-crisis capacities of the EU and its partners at national, regional and global level. Figure 5 below reflects the main thematic areas of support from 2007 to 2013, while figure 6 illustrates the range of implementing partners.
Figure 5: Thematic areas of capacity building support 2007-2013 (as per IfS Art. 4.3 funding allocations)
Figure 6: Implementing partners 2007-2013 for Art. 4.3 capacity building (as per funding allocations)
€24 million were allocated under the 2013 AAP and the following provides an overview of the main achievements and impacts related to on-going projects that were ongoing in 2013.
Conflict prevention, peacebuilding and fragility: Through the Civil Society Dialogue Network (CSDN), a viable forum for dialogue on peace-building issues has been established between the EU and civil society actors, providing the latter with an opportunity to input to the EU’s policy making processes. 2013 marked this platform’s third year, with a resulting 40 dialogue meetings held by the end of 2013, contributing to enhancing the long-term capacities of civil society in third countries, as well as their European partners, to be better prepared for crisis prevention.
Mediation, dialogue and reconciliation: Due to the IfS support to the Mediation Support Unit of the UN Department of Political Affairs, critical assistance was provided in high profile crisis situations in CAR, Mali and Somalia. Participation of women in peace processes was enhanced by training six women identified as candidates for potential appointments to mediator positions by the UN Secretary-General, and by developing a "High-level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Processes". In cooperation with UNDP, the IfS also contributed to establishing capacities and sustainable national mechanisms for internal mediation and conflict management in nine pilot countries.12
A versatile new IfS facility, "the European Resources for Mediation Support" (ERMES), was designed to facilitate flexible and rapid provision of technical mediation assistance to third parties engaged in inclusive peace processes at international, regional and/or local levels, creating enabling conditions for women, youth and other vulnerable groups to express their voices in conflict theatres.
Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and children: The IfS continued to support the implementation of UNSCR 1325 through a joint project with UN Women on enhancing Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding and Post-conflict Planning in Kosovo13, Liberia, and Timor-Leste. In Kosovo, hundreds of men, women and youth attended reconciliation dialogues, producing concrete recommendations on issues such as the Gender Equality Law, women's employment and girls education. Agreements have also been made with major media outlets in Kosovo to feature WPS issues in their programming. In addition, WPS was targeted as a priority for local calls for proposals in 17 countries and 3 regions,14 covering a broad range of gender issues.
Early Warning and situational awareness: IfS support has allowed the Timor-Leste CSO Belun to roll-out and scale-up an Early Warning, Early Response system (EWER), evaluated as one of the best examples in the field of EWER systems, successfully contributing to reducing the overall local conflict potential and tensions. Support through Saferworld and ICG allowed to strengthen in-country and regional actors' capacity to analyse conflict risks across 32 theatres of potential conflict and to provide high-quality conflict analysis to policy makers and civil society with recommendations for early response measures.
Regional and sub-regional organisations' early-warning and post-disaster recovery capabilities were strengthened, including by enhancing the crisis response capacities of the League of Arab States, developing the media monitoring capacity of the Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) and continuing support to the African Union’s Continental Early Warning System. IfS supported the enhancement of ASEAN’s and its Member States’ capacities to respond to emergency situations. In this context, a first training for future staff of the Myanmar National Crisis Centre took place in November 2013, coinciding with a visit to this centre by HR/VP Ashton.
Civilian capacity for crisis management: After the first phase ended successfully in 2012, the ENTRi programme (Europe's New Training Initiative for Civilian Crisis Management) was re-launched in April 2013. During the course of the year nine customised trainings (on average one per month) strengthened the capabilities of 210 personnel (both EU and non-EU nationals) deployed or about to be deployed to international civilian crisis management missions of the EU, UN, AU and OSCE. Courses included both pre-deployment trainings for international missions in Libya, Georgia and Kosovo as well as specialization courses covering topics such as Human Rights, Rule of Law, Mediation and Mentoring. In addition, interoperability and harmonised training approaches between the 13 European consortium members of ENTRi were fostered and a practical handbook for civilians deploying to international crisis missions ("In Control"), was published in September 2013.
Under the European Police Services Training programme (EUPST), three main training sessions were conducted in 2013, respectively by the Spanish Guardia Civil, the French National Gendarmerie and the Italian Carabinieri, building the capacity of 1019 police officers from 42 countries, including 19 African countries, to participate in international police missions.
Natural resources and climate change: The "EU-UN Partnership on Land, Natural Resources and Conflict Prevention" continued to strengthen the capacity of local CSOs in the African Great Lakes region to understand conflict dynamics and develop conflict-sensitive solutions to contentious issues related to the management of natural resources. Through the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC)'s project on "Climate Change and Security in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus", a strategic framework for the adaptation to climate change of the Dniester river-basin was developed.
Early recovery, PCNA/PDNA: A post-conflict needs assessment (PCNA) and post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) training session, ‘Strengthening Cooperation in Fragile and Conflict Affected Countries’ was held in September, attended by Headquarter staff and field level staff from the EU and UN.
Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration & Security Sector Reform: AU capacities for Security Sector Reform (SSR) was strengthened through a joint EU–UN project, implemented by UNOPS. Three SSR Operational Guidance Notes were discussed at a workshop in Addis Ababa in November, bringing together representatives of the Regional Economic Communities and civil society.
At the end of the seven year programming cycle of the IfS Regulation an external evaluation was commissioned to assess the impact of project results of the IfS Article 4.3 Crisis Preparedness component over the period 2007-13. The evaluation concluded that the IfS Crisis Preparedness component is an indispensable element of the comprehensive EU peace, security and development architecture and should be fully embedded into this structure. It found that the component allows the EU to address conflict issues in the broadest sense and that individual projects have built or strengthened the capacity of organisations to contribute to peace-building efforts and strengthen the concept of a community of practitioners. Despite a limited budget, actions supported contributed to fulfilling EU commitments related to women, peace and security and mediation and dialogue. Investment in civil society at grassroots level across 26 conflict affected countries/regions, has been instrumental in making some 80 projects relevant to the country contexts and ensuring that they meet the priorities and needs, not just at country level but also locally. The IfS Crisis Preparedness component has been used to great effect in creating strategic partnerships, particularly at the multilateral level with UN projects, having had a significant impact on EU relations with several specialised UN agencies.
8. Conclusion
IfS measures implemented in 2013, complementing other EU actions under geographic and thematic development instruments, humanitarian assistance and CSDP missions, contributed significantly to EU efforts to help prevent conflict, respond to crises and preserve peace. In this respect, the wide range of interventions implemented under the Instrument for Stability enabled significant and visible EU responses with respect to many global crisis situations.
Given the continuing political instability and increasing number of natural disasters in many parts of the world, it is imperative to continue working towards the more efficient and effective deployment of the available EU instruments. In this context, the EU needs to ensure IfS actions are deployed as part of the full cycle of crisis prevention, crisis response and peace building measures. The IfS provided the EU with a unique response ability, in many cases acting as an entry point and a catalyst to enable a broad range of EU responses that combine to form the EU’s strategic and comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and crisis response. As cited in the Joint Communication on the EU’s Comprehensive Approach, ‘long term engagement in peace and state building and long-term sustainable development are essential to address the underlying causes of conflict and to build peaceful, resilient societies. The overall objectives of sustainable peace and development must be at the core of the EU's response from the outset – the EU must also have a long-term vision for its short-term engagements and actions’.15
In 2014, the IfS will make way for the new Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP). The consultations on the new IcSP have reaffirmed the need for the EU to maintain and expand its capacity to provide a swift and targeted response to crisis situations elsewhere in the world as well as to global and trans-regional threats and emerging threats (fight against organised crime; protection of critical infrastructure; countering terrorism; CBRN risk mitigation). The new IcSP will also re-emphasise the focus on conflict prevention, peace-building and crisis preparedness, recognising that an early response by the EU can often be an effective means to avoid that tensions escalate into a crisis.
1The IfS applied from 1 January 2007 until 31 December 2013. The new Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) (Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014, establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace), for which future annual reports will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council, as stipulated under Title IV, Article 13 of the Common Implementing Rules (CIR) for the implementation of the Union’s instruments for financing external action, applies from 1 January 2014 until 31 December 2020.
2Regulation (EC) N°1717/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 November 2006; OJ L 327/1 24.11.2006.
3Also known as the IfS ‘Peace-building Partnership’ (PbP).
4Pursuant to Council Decision of 26 July 2010 establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service (2010/427/EU), OJ L201
5Refer to ‘Instrument for Stability: Overview 2013 commitments and payments’ in the Commission Staff Working Document accompanying this report
6This figure includes funds of EUR 6 million that were carried over from 2012 or recovered from 2013.
7Legal and financial responsibility for the use of EU funds, including power to sign and amend contracts as appropriate is transferred from the European Commission headquarters in Brussels to the EU Delegation concerned.
8Revised version of the AAP approved on 23 December 2013
9Expert Support Facility Framework Contract, drawing on specialists from public or semi-public organisations from the EU. Since 2008, experts from about 60 organisations in 17 Member States have carried out over 100 missions.
10For example, export control of dual-use goods, illicit trafficking, redirection of former weapons scientists, safety and security culture.
11Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance
12Bolivia, Chad, Ghana, Guyana, Maldives, Mauritania, Nepal, Togo and Yemen.
13This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
14Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chad, DRC , El Salvador, Guinea Bissau, India, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Yemen, Central America Region, South Asia, Southern region of Central Africa.
15Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: The EU's comprehensive approach to external conflict and crises: Brussels, 11.12.2013, JOIN(2013) 30 final.
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