The ESDP-building process and conflict prevention: intergovernmental policy-making and institutional expertise

Ideas and Norms in Swedish Peace Policy

“…It became a separate but parallel track to civilian and military crisis management (interview: Swedish Ambassador, May 2001; European Council conclusions 1999‐12‐10). Apart from the Swedish initiative, no other member state proposals concerning the CFSP and the ESDP that emerged in the 1998–1999 period involved ideas pertaining to conflict prevention (Karlas ). Yet the Swedish norm entrepreneurship was not uncontested.…”

“…In contrast, member states could initiate proposals, on second pillar issues such as CFSP, but support from the Council Secretariat was considered conducive for broad acceptance within the EU (cf. Karlas : 177). With enlargement of the EU, Sweden continued its search for supporters of conflict prevention.…”

“…The Secretary‐General/High Representative gave credit to Foreign Minister Anna Lindh for creating a culture of conflict prevention within the EU. According to Karlas (: 165) “the EU adopted more than 20 substantial commitments to conflict prevention and decided to carry out a reform of conflict prevention as one of the fields of its activities”. Conflict prevention was mainstreamed at the policy level and in agreements concluded with external countries (see, for instance, its inclusion in the Cotonou agreement).…”

Norm advocacy: a small state strategy to influence the EU

“…This demonstrates that conflict prevention was a flexible and absorbent norm candidate able to work in parallel with crisis management. Apart from the Swedish initiative, no other member state proposals concerning the CFSP and the ESDP that emerged in the period 1998-99 involved ideas pertaining to conflict prevention (Karlas 2005). Yet, the Swedish norm advocacy was not uncontested.…”

“…Strong support was also found in Rome where Italian officials stressed the need to balance the military measures of crisis management with civilian capabilities, and A. Björkdahl: Norm advocacy 143 regarded conflict prevention as co-ordinating and linking the activities which the EU already performed. Although the Italians acknowledged being inspired by Swedish ideas (Toscano 2000), they had in a joint declaration with the British in July 1999 mentioned that conflict prevention and crisis management should both be basic objectives of the EU (Karlas 2005). The Italians also offered to work jointly with the Swedish foreign policy élite, as the Italian Presidency of the G8 coincided with the Swedish EU Presidency, and the Italians were eager to make progress on the G8 Miyazaki Initiative for Conflict Prevention (Toscano 2000).…”