The European Union (EU)-Somalia Cooperation: Areas, Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

This study focuses on the European Union (EU)-Somalia cooperation: areas, achievements, challenges and opportunities. The main aim of the stud is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the areas, achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the European Union-Somalia cooperation. The study employed qualitative research approach to gain clear understanding on the areas, achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the cooperation between European Union and Somalia. The researcher used an extensive documentary review tool to gather existing knowledge and insights on the European Union-Somalia cooperation. The researcher reviewed academic articles, reports, policy documents, and other relevant sources to understand the areas, achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the cooperation between European Union and Somalia. The findings of the study on areas of cooperation between European Union and Somalia which they entail: governance and institutional development, security and counterterrorism, development assistance, humanitarian aid, trade and investment, migration and displacement and regional integration; the achievements of cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Somalia entail: security and stability, humanitarian assistance, governance and state building, development resilience, political dialogue and reconciliation; the challenges hindering the effectiveness of the cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Somalia encompass: security concerns, weak institutional capacity, political fragmentation, limited infrastructure and logistical challenges, corruption and lack of transparency and humanitarian crises and natural disasters; the opportunities of the cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Somalia entail: economic development and trade, capacity building and knowledge transfer, infrastructure development, humanitarian aid and resilience-building, peacebuilding and conflict resolution and educational skills development. The study recommended that there should be more strengthening of political dialogue, increasing financial support, enhancing capacity building, fostering economic development, strengthening security cooperation and promoting inclusive governance to promote effectiveness of the cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Somalia.