Research

Conflict and Fragility

Reports and papers

Improving Institutional Capacity for Early Warning

07 Jan 2012 - 13:30

As EU external action makes the transition from its pre- to post-Lisbon reality, the challenge is to implement an early warning (EW) system that matches the goal of early action to prevent conflicts. The Lisbon Treaty provided a strong mandate for EU institutions to engage with conflict prevention. But, the corresponding political leadership is not in evidence. As part of the EU-funded research project 'Initiative for Peacebuilding - Early Warning Analysis to Action' (IfP-EW), the Conflict Research Unit (CRU) at the Clingendael Institute took the lead in drafting the synthesis report for the Improving Institutional Capacity for Early Warning cluster. This cluster sought to examine the EU's capacity for early-warning and early response to prevent conflicts with input from eight country case studies and institutional mapping exercises at Brussels level. It has yielded new insights into the working of EU actors and instruments on EW responses for conflict prevention. However, the overarching findings reveal a policy without direction. In response, the report calls for a dedicated EU strategy for EW conflict prevention.