The international community has a political and
moral responsibility to act to avoid the human suffering and the destruction of resources
caused by violent conflicts. The European Union is a successful example of conflict
prevention, based on democratic values and respect for human rights, justice and
solidarity, economic prosperity and sustainable development. The process of enlargement
will extend this community of peace and progress to a wider circle of European states.
In line with the fundamental values of the EU, the highest political priority will be
given to improving the effectiveness and coherence of its external action in the field of
conflict prevention, thereby also enhancing the preventive capabilities of the
international community at large.
Conflict prevention calls for a co-operative approach to facilitate peaceful solutions
to disputes and implies addressing the root-causes of conflicts. It is an important
element of all aspects of the external relations of the European Union. The development of
the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) has, since the outset, also been intended
to strengthen the EUs capacity for action in the crucial field of conflict
prevention.
In keeping with the primary role of the UN in conflict prevention, EU actions will be
undertaken in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. Recalling
that the main responsibility for conflict prevention rests with the parties concerned,
assistance to local and regional capacity building according to principles of local
ownership is of particular importance.
The European Union, through this programme, underlines its political commitment to
pursue conflict prevention as one of the main objectives of the EU's external relations.
It resolves to continue to improve its capacity to prevent violent conflicts and to
contribute to a global culture of prevention. The Commission communication on conflict
prevention is welcomed as a major contribution to EU capabilities for conflict prevention.
The EU will:
- set clear political priorities for preventive actions,
- improve its early warning, action and policy coherence,
- enhance its instruments for long- and short-term prevention, and
- build effective partnerships for prevention.
Political priorities for preventive actions
Successful conflict prevention relies on preparedness to take action before a situation
deteriorates into violence. Development of policy options must start with clear political
priorities and direction, set out through regular reviews of potential conflict areas.
In order to set clear political priorities for preventive actions:
- the Council will schedule a broad consideration of potential conflict issues at the
outset of each Presidency, including at the time of the yearly orientation debate,
prepared with assistance from the High Representative, relevant Council bodies, including
the Political and Security Committee (PSC), and the Commission, to identify priority areas
and regions for EU preventive actions,
- the Council will pursue coherent and comprehensive preventive strategies, using
appropriate existing instruments and taking into account ongoing actions, in order to
identify challenges, set clear objectives, allocate adequate resources and ensure
co-operation with external partners,
- the implementation of preventive strategies will be monitored by the Council, drawing on
contributions from the Secretary General/High Representative (SG/HR) and the Commission,
- the Commission is invited to implement its proposal on strengthening the conflict
prevention elements in the Country Strategy Papers, as stipulated in the Council
conclusions on Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD), i.a. through more
systematic analyses of potential conflict situations.
Early warning, action and policy coherence
Successful prevention must be based on accurate information and analysis as well as
clear options for action for both long- and short-term prevention. It requires enhanced
field co-operation. Coherence must be ensured in early warning, analysis, planning,
decision-making, implementation and evaluation.
In order to ensure early warning, action and policy coherence:
- Coreper will continue to ensure coherence between different policy areas of the Union,
paying specific attention to the question of coherent preventive activities,
- the PSC will further strengthen its role in developing and monitoring conflict
prevention policies within the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the ESDP,
building upon information from relevant bodies, and bringing issues to the attention of
the Council,
- Member States, their Heads of Mission, EU Special Representatives, EC delegations and
other representatives of the Commission, as well as the Council Secretariat, including the
Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (PPEWU) and the EU Military Staff (EUMS), should
provide regular information on developments of potential conflict situations, i.a. through
the development and use of standard formats and methods for early warning reports,
- full use will be made of information from field based personnel of the UN and the OSCE,
as well as other international organisations and civil society,
- increased exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission is
encouraged, i.a. through exchange of Country Strategy Papers and respective strategy
documents of Member States, as well as through the establishment of a system of exchange
of information at working level under development by the Commission,
- full use will be made of the Guidelines for strengthening operational coordination
between the Community, represented by the Commission, and the Member States in the field
of external assistance, adopted by the Council on 22 January 2001.
EU instruments for long- and short-term prevention
The Union has an extensive set of instruments for structural long-term and direct
short-term preventive actions. The long-term instruments include development co-operation,
trade, arms control, human rights and environment policies as well as political dialogue.
The Union also has a broad range of diplomatic and humanitarian instruments for short-term
prevention. Structures and capabilities for civil and military crisis management,
developed within the framework of the ESDP, will also contribute to the capabilities of
the EU to prevent conflicts.
It must use these instruments in a more targeted and effective manner in order to
address root-causes of conflict such as poverty, lack of good governance and respect for
human rights, and competition for scarce natural resources.
To strengthen EU instruments for long- and short-term prevention:
- all relevant institutions of the Union will mainstream conflict prevention within their
areas of competence, taking into account the recommendations made in the Commission
communication on conflict prevention,
- the Commission is invited to implement its recommendations on ensuring that its
development policy and other co-operation programmes are more clearly focused on
addressing root-causes of conflicts in an integrated way within the framework of the
poverty reduction objective,
- EUs political dialogue will be used in a systematic and targeted way to address
potential conflicts and promote conflict prevention,
- the Commission, taking into account the Council conclusions on EU electoral assistance
and observation of 31 May 2001, is invited to implement its recommendations on more
targeted action in support of democracy, and the particular attention paid to support to
electoral processes, including electoral observers, administration of justice, improving
police services and human rights training for the whole security sector, as means of
contributing to conflict prevention,
- the capacities of the Union will, as needs are identified, be strengthened by developing
instruments in areas such as expertise on human rights and democracy, fact-finding
missions, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DD&R), and demining,
- the Council will examine how instruments for disarmament, arms control and
non-proliferation, including Confidence and Security Building Measures, can be used more
systematically for preventive purposes, including as means for early warning and
post-conflict stabilisation and as element in the political dialogue, whilst avoiding
duplication of the activities of regional and international organisations,
- the EU will support the ratification and implementation of agreements to tackle the
problem posed by unregulated spread of small arms and light weapons in all its aspects,
including the proposed UN Programme of Action,
- Member States and the Commission will tackle the illicit trade in high-value
commodities, including by taking forward work to identify ways of breaking the link
between rough diamonds and violent conflicts and through support for the Kimberly process,
- the Council will develop proposals on the further improvement of its diplomatic
instruments, i.a. on the more effective use of Special Representatives, and to this end
draw on contributions from the SG/HR,
- the Council, assisted by the SG/HR, and the Commission will, within their areas of
competence, examine how to use the crisis management capabilities more effectively for
preventive purposes.
Co-operation and partnerships
The EU must build and sustain mutually reinforcing and effective partnerships for
prevention with the UN, the OSCE and other international and regional organisations as
well as the civil society. Increased co-operation is needed at all levels, from early
warning and analysis to action and evaluation. Field co-ordination is of particular
importance. EU action should be guided by principles of value added and comparative
advantage.
In order to increase co-operation and build effective partnerships:
- The EU will intensify its exchange of information and practical co-operation with the UN
system, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, other regional and subregional organisations and
the international financial institutions, making full use of recent work on intensified
EU-UN and EU-OSCE co-operation in the field of conflict prevention and crisis management,
- in accordance with the principles agreed at Feira and Nice, the EU and NATO, in
developing their co-operation in crisis managament, notably in Western Balkans, will also
increasingly contribute to conflict prevention.
- exchange of information, dialogue and practical co-operation with humanitarian actors
such as the ICRC, relevant non-governmental and academic organisations should also be
strengthened,
- the Union and its Member States will, in accordance with article 19 of the Treaty of the
European Union, co-ordinate their action to promote conflict prevention in international
organisations where they are members,
- joint training programmes for EU, UN and OSCE field and headquarters personnel should be
developed, benefiting from the Commissions willingness to consider funding of such
programmes,
- the EU will invite organisations involved in conflict prevention in Europe to a meeting
on how to improve preventive capabilities, in order to contribute to the dialogue on
peace-building initiated by the UN Secretary-General,
- the Union should also contribute to the strengthening of preventive capacities of
regional and subregional organisations outside Europe, i.a. through the Commission
recommendation on support to regional and subregional integration and, in particular
organisations with a clear conflict prevention mandate,
- methods for EU co-operation with the private sector in the field of conflict prevention
will be developed, drawing i.a. on progress made by the UN Global Partnership, the OECD
guidelines for multinational enterprises and the G8.
Implementation
The EU and its Member States share the responsibility to implement this programme.
Future Presidencies are invited to promote this implementation and make recommendations on
its further development. The Commission is invited to implement the recommendations made
in its communication on conflict prevention, within its area of competence. Members States
are encouraged to develop national action plans to increase their capabilities for
conflict prevention.
The first report on the progress made in implementation of this programme should be
submitted by the Presidency to the European Council in Seville.
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