On 12 September 2018, the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels hosted the Final Conference of the EU-CIVCAP project under the title “Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding: Lessons for the EU”. The Final Conference served to showcase the key lessons and best practices identified in the project’s research and the relevance of its main findings for policy-makers and practitioners in EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
Armenia – further changes and challenges ahead
Current developments in Armenia, following the April 2018 revolution (also known as the ‘Velvet Revolution’) and the advent to power of Nikol Pashinian, seem to prompt a mix of optimism and caution.
Capacity building within partner security sectors: The place of governance
Does the EU support capacity building in the security sectors of third countries which have a governance element or is it content to play down or forgo that governance aspect? In Dennis Blease’s opinion the former is SSR and the latter is not.
Kissing the frog: Gender equality in EU conflict prevention and other fairy tales
Even if gender equality were not a desirable objective in its own right, we know that gender equality is a key component of stability and security. It follows that gender analysis should inform all external conflict prevention interventions, and that gender equality should be moved from the periphery of EU conflict prevention to its heart, as a specific objective.
Greece and the Republic of Northern Macedonia: The (in)visible role of the EU
On 12 June 2018, the prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an historic agreement on the new constitutional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which will change to “Republic of Northern Macedonia”. This is expected to end a dispute which has poisoned the relations between the two countries since 1991, and to contribute to stability through a strategic partnership.
Research Meets Policy Seminar 3 – “Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding: Lessons from Research”
On 25 June 2018, the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels hosted the third and last EU-CIVCAP Research Meets Policy Seminar. Prof Michael E. Smith, leader of EU-CIVCAP’s Work Package 7, presented the EU-CIVCAP Catalogue of Lessons Identified and the draft report on best practices, following which comments were given by two discussants and a debate was opened with the audience.
EU-CIVCAP 