This working paper advances an analytical framework to study the European Union’s engagement in interconnected areas of conflict prevention, mediation and resolution. It argues that the EU’s actions in these fields are inherently overlapping but not always complementary. It further suggests that coordination of the Union’s actions with external partners before, during and after intervention in a conflict or crisis scenario is of crucial importance, and that early warning systems and foresight should be even further embedded in distinct EU institutions and policies of conflict management and prevention.

By putting forward a theoretical and conceptual definition of strategic partnership, this working paper provides an assessment of the European Union’s global strategic partners and furthers the ENGAGE project’s objective of assisting the EU’s foreign policy by allowing a more structured engagement with other countries. The challenges faced by the EU are explored in the paper in terms of the relevant forms of cooperation and conflict between the EU, its Member States and their respective global strategic partners.