This working paper provides policy recommendations for enhancing the European Union and its Member States' engagement in conflict resolution, prevention, and mediation, aiming for greater effectiveness, coherence, and sustainability. It emphasizes the need for coherence and synergies between community-based policies and intergovernmental CFSP and CSDP instruments. Key insights include the importance of foresight, addressing nexus issues like environment, development, and gender, and considering external factors and major powers' roles in crisis situations. The paper identifies four clusters of challenges, offering recommendations to address fragmented discourse, improve coordination, leverage comparative advantages, and proactively respond to geopolitical shifts. The document concludes by proposing assessment criteria for evaluating EU engagement in conflict management.

This working paper, stemming from ENGAGE Work Package 8, explores the EU's engagement with neighboring countries within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Despite the ENP's technocratic approach since its launch in 2003, its separate standing from the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy has hindered its effectiveness. A lack of consensus among Member States on ENP goals, especially in security matters, and the EU's failure to evolve into a robust security actor have led to disillusionment. The paper suggests the EU must align actions with its narrative or reconsider geopolitical ambitions to bridge this gap.

This working paper examines the effectiveness of the EU’s strategic partnerships as a foreign policy tool aimed at promoting a multilateral, rules-based world order. It assesses the EU’s engagement with partners against the backdrop of mounting global rivalries and instability, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The paper underscores the evolving nature of the EU’s strategic partnerships and, in light of today’s challenges, calls for/recommends a review of existing agreements and the harmonization of Member State and EU positions.