Directorate-general for External Policies of the Union Directorate B Policy Department Standard Briefing towards an Eu Peacebuilding Strategy? Eu Civilian Coordination in Peacebuilding and the Effects of the Lisbon Treaty

The Lisbon Treaty (LT) has been designed to improve the coherence of the Union’s external action. Whilst peacebuilding, as HR Ashton has said in the European Parliament, is central to what the EU does externally, it is not spelled out in a clear policy statement what this means. The result is that the means that are principally available within the Union are not mainstreamed towards peacebuilding. If the EU is to play a role as an actor in international peacebuilding, a peacebuilding strategy should be set up. Such a strategy would seek to overcome both the conceptual diversity and the institutional fragmentation in view of coordinating the diverse instruments, providing for the appropriate resources and capabilities, and assuring their implementation. Policy Department DG External Policies ii This study was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.