Publication

This commentary discusses change in EU peacebuilding concepts and policies. It argues that peacebuilding has become central to the EU’s self-conception as a foreign policy actor. The concept has been making inroads into different EU policy areas such as security and defense. The dominant approach to peacebuilding has increasingly come under fire because of its failure to produce durable peace in many countries. The European Union has reacted to these challenges by adapting its concepts, but translation of these into practice – as currently witnessed in the Sahel and the two Sudans – is proving more difficult.