First, the EU-CIVCAP project has contributed to a better understanding of key shortfalls in EU civilian capabilities by conducting broader capability-based assessments. EU-CIVCAP reports examined the EU’s record in conflict prevention and peacebuilding to date by focusing on different phases of the conflict (from early warning to post-conflict capacity building) and by drawing on a comparative approach which provided a comprehensive overview of EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The second phase of this evaluation entailed the analysis of specific issues relating to EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding, such as dual use technologies, pooling and sharing of capabilities, conflict prevention and specific EU policies (trade, development, CSDP and gender), the implementation of the comprehensive approach, civil-military synergies, and local capacity building. EU-CIVCAP has also contributed to addressing four cross-cutting challenges: filling the early warning-response gap; combining short term versus long term approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding; enhancing civil-military coordination in conflict prevention and peacebuilding; and ensuring local ownership.
Drawing on the critical assessment of the EU’s peacebuilding efforts outlined above, EU-CIVCAP has identified and documented empirically-grounded lessons, best practices and policy recommendations to better address key challenges in EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The 34 lessons learned gathered by the project's work packages were compiled into an online catalogue of lessons identified and a best practices report was also produced.
Finally, based on the assessment of the EU’s activities and the identification of lessons learned and best practices in this area, the project has provided research-based policy recommendations to guide the EU’s future priorities and research in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. This has proved particularly relevant in the period following the publication of the EU Global Strategy (2016), which has provided new impetus for the strengthening of EU civilian capabilities for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In this context, the project has contributed to policy discussions about the establishment of a civilian CSDP Compact, the implementation of the Integrated Approach, the prioritisation of conflict prevention and early warning, and the development of a new EU approach to resilience-building in the neighbourhood.
The project has disseminated its results by organising numerous face-to-face meetings and events targeted at key stakeholders, including policy workshops, Peacebuilding Forums and Research Meets Policy Seminars . The EU-CIVCAP Final Conference in September 2018 successfully showcased the project’s research findings to an audience of over a 100 policy-makers, academics and NGO representatives. Finally, the project has disseminated its findings to academic audiences, with over a dozen of peer-review articles published. The project findings will continue to feedback directly and indirectly to policy and academic debates, through the research, teaching and outreach activities of the EU-CIVCAP partners.
