Lesson 08: Procedures & rules

Summary

As a weakly institutionalised and decentralised policy domain with many stakeholders in the EU, in EU member states, and in host countries, EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts require extensive and ongoing coordination across a number of stakeholders. Although general strategies and concepts/doctrines can be helpful in this regard, and although the EU has already devised specific procedures through the CFSP/CSDP and related policy tools, some EU-CIVCAP research outputs also identified more specific needs regarding how stakeholders should carry our their tasks, or in other words clearer procedures/rules.

DL 2.1: Consistent with other lessons regarding strategies, concepts/guidelines, and general coordination, the EU also needs to ensure that it is effectively generating, collecting, and sharing data regarding conflict prevention and peacebuilding, whether through the use of ICT/Big Data or other resources. Specific procedures/rules in this realm, including how to integrate data across the EU, would be helpful in this regard, especially in the area of early warning.

DL 3.1 makes a similar point regarding the mainstreaming of new technologies for early warning and conflict analysis. This objective could be aided by general concepts/guidelines and new training courses but also by more specific procedures/rules about the EU’s adoption, diffusion, and use of new technologies by various stakeholders. This also could involve the regular review of such technologies in terms of their value-added but also other factors (such as privacy, security, cost-effectiveness, etc.).

Taking a more general perspective, DL 3.2 pointed out that, in addition to clarifying, mainstreaming, and prioritising EU conflict prevention through concepts/guidelines, three specific activities (conflict analysis, early warning, and mediation) were very important as well, and these could be enhanced through the development of clearer procedures/rules across relevant EU stakeholders. EU working procedures should also ensure that time is available for personnel to generate and implement conflict analysis across the EU’s external actions, supported by PRISM and DEVCO B.7.

Finally, DL 4.1 analysed the potential for ‘virtual’ standing civilian capacities, which requires not only the availability of trained personnel but also much clearer procedures so that EU missions can quickly draw upon staff from the Commission, the EEAS/CPCC/CMPD, and EU member states (as well as former mission staff). This could include the creation of a database for monitoring/deploying such staff.

Recommendations

Develop more specific EU procedures/rules in the realm of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding regarding ICT/Big Data usage, the adoption of new technologies, conflict analysis, early warning, mediation, and a virtual standing capacity of mission staff. This also extends to general staff working procedures and the development of specific implementation plans for the EUGS.