European Institute of Peace

The European Institute of Peace (EIP) is a non-profit public foundation which contributes to and complements the global peace agenda of the European Union,[1] primarily through mediation and informal dialogue. On 18 February 2014, the Ministers of Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland signed the statutes for the establishment of the Institute. The EIP was launched on 12 May 2014 by foreign ministers from the signatory governments as well as Italy and Spain, and is based in Brussels.[2]

The EIP logo.

Mission

The EIP contributes to and complements the global peace agenda of the European Union, primarily through mediation and informal dialogue. The EIP pursues multi-track diplomacy and promotes best practice in conflict resolution. As an operational hub, the EIP connects existing expertise and shares knowledge on European mediation.

History

Preparations for the establishment of the Institute started a few years earlier. In 2009 former Finnish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari called for the establishment of such an Institute, underpinning the need for improved learning from past lessons.[3] In 2010 Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb developed a joint non-paper that was addressed to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.[4] They referred to the limits of traditional diplomacy and emphasised the added value that capacities beyond those available to high-level decision-makers could have. At the same time, the idea of a European Institute of Peace gained increasing attention among members of the European Parliament (MEP) and was particularly supported by German MEP Franziska Brantner[5] and French MEP Alain Lamassoure.[6]

Subsequently, the European Parliament commissioned three major studies on the establishment of an EIP, including a study on a blue print for the Institute,[7] a cost-benefit analysis[5] and a study on the added value and financial appraisal.[8] The process for the establishment of the EIP was steered by a Core Group of States, which explored the best alternatives to make the EIP fit with European efforts and realities. Beginning in 2011, they received advice from the European Forum for International Mediation and Dialogue (mediatEUr). MediatEUr carried out several projects, including scoping missions, seminars and consultations to assess the value of a European Institute of Peace. The process included the development of extensive building blocks, such as a scoping mission to Kosovo and a dialogue project in Brussels with Egyptian personalities in the wake of the 2013/2014 crisis.

Also, numerous workshops and seminars were held to discuss European mediation and the role of the EIP. These included a workshop in the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs,[9] three workshops organised by the Irish EU Council Presidency and the European Parliament in Paris, Berlin and Sofia in 2013, and a high-level conference in Brussels in May 2013, jointly organised by the Parliament, the Irish EU Council Presidency and the EEAS.[10] The reports, building blocks and discussions fed into the development and establishment of the EIP.

After four years of consultations with European governments, international conflict resolution organisations, the European Union bodies, and experts on peace and security, the statutes for the EIP were signed on 18 February 2014.[11] On 5 May 2014, the Board was constituted and the President elected. On 12 May 2014, the Institute was launched by foreign ministers of the member states.

Budget

Nine European countries (Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) voluntarily contribute towards the EIP's annual €3 million budget. The Institute accepts public and private funding and operates as a Belgian non-profit public-interest foundation.

Organization and leadership

Board of Governors

A Board of Governors provides strategic direction to the EIP. Pekka Haavisto succeeded Staffan de Mistura as the President of the Board in 2016. The Vice-President is Marc Otte. The Board comprises nine members (Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and may be expanded to a maximum of fifteen.

Advisory Council

An Advisory Council is being formed to provide advisory opinion on the EIP's work. Consists of up to 20 members who are representative of the broad practice of mediation and dialogue. Members will be selected taking into consideration gender balance, European regional representation, and non-European representation.

Relations with the EU and other parties

The EIP is an independent and flexible partner to the EU. The Institute is committed to working with governments and the EU, while remaining autonomous to act rapidly and creatively. It will complement and serve to enhance the mediation work of Europe, bringing its own competences and resources to do so and drawing on the normative work of the United Nations.

The EIP interacts with the United Nations, other international organisations, regional organisations, non-governmental organisations, private entities, conflict parties, and individuals. The EIP serves as a permanent operational hub for existing European governmental and non-governmental mediation and dialogue expertise.

Premises

Through the support of the Belgian government, the EIP is housed in a central location in Brussels at the Tweekerkenstraat/Rue des Deux Eglises 25. The premises, which are in the same neighbourhood as the EU institutions, allow the EIP to organise seminars for practitioners, roundtables with policy makers, and host informal dialogues with parties in conflict. These events, which are not all public, can be arranged with very short notice.

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References
  1. "Conflict Prevention, Peace building and Mediation". European External Action Service official website.
  2. Claes, Jonas. "New European Institute of Peace Prepares for Debut". www.usip.org. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. Vucheva, Elitsa (2 April 2009). "EU could do more for peace, Ahtisaari says". EU Observer. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. "Foreign Minister Stubb and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt propose establishment of the European Institute of Peace". finlandcoe.fr.
  5. Brorsen, Peter. "European Institute of Peace costs, benefits and options" (PDF). franziska-brantner.eu.
  6. Krümpelmann, Stefan; Major, Claudia. "Enter the European Institute of Peace: Competing with or strengthening the European Union?" (PDF). swp-berlin.org.
  7. Herolf, Gunilla. "Establishing The Knowledge Base of a Smart Power: A Blue Print For An Eu Institute For Peace" (PDF). europarl.europa.eu.
  8. "A European Institute of Peace? Value-added, Risks and Options" (PDF). europarl.europa.eu. mediatEUr.
  9. "Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs". europarl.europa.eu.
  10. "The EU as a Peacemaker: enhancing the EU's mediation capacity Conference at the European Parliament" (PDF). eeas.europa.eu.
  11. Jonas, Claes. "New European Institute of Peace Prepares for Debut". usip.org.
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