First Crisis Response Policy Forum: How to implement the EU Global Strategy

The EU’s new Global Strategy on Foreign & Security Policy (EUGS) stresses responsible and decisive crisis response by the Union. But how can the EU make good on these lofty goals? This was the central question at EUNPACK’s first ‘Research meets policy’ forum on EU crisis response. The event took place in Brussels on 26 September 2016 at CEPS in Brussels. More than 50 experts exchanged views with Stefano Tomat (Head of Division, CSDP Coordination & Support, EEAS), Juha Auvinen (Head of Unit, DG ECHO), Pernille Rieker and Morten Bøås (both at NUPI and EUNPACK) on the ways and challenges to implement the EUGS. The main takeaways were:

• A host of existing policy documents help the EUGS chart an ‘integrated approach’ to the use of EU policies and instruments, working with local CSOs & international partners.
• Local reception & perceptions of EU crisis response (as often conflict insensitive) need to feed into lessons learned which, in turn, need to be applied.
• Seen from the outside, the EU’s capacity to act in response to external crisis can be characterised as often too little, always too late. Slow decision-making procedures and a lack of resources are often to blame.