Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies

12

14

16

18

EU FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

nd Security

represented

embodies a
se disparate
.
epresentative

External

cturally and

hich ensures

activities the
s numerous

rtfolios. The
.
policy is to

erage in the

ng efforts to
ernational security, promote international cooperation, and develop and
1
As
all common
ims of democracy,
law and
human
rights.
rule
of

EU

ered by the European
Council,
composed
of
member
state
government
.1
on a quarterly basis. Foreign policy measures are then more concretely
.
uncil, a monthly gathering of member states Foreign ministers. The High

chairs

e title of Vice-President
of the
European
Commission,
both
of
before

carries
out
the
policies.
.
ency and coordination
the
EEAS
respective

ns, the EU maintains diplomatic relations with all MENA countries,
.

nd aims. In the cases of Iran, Iraq and Yemen, relations are bilateral,

basis,
with
target
nations

ons are managed
multilateralon a
grouped
he Cooperation
council
for
the
Arab
States
of
the
Gulf
or
the
Union
.
notwithstanding
contextualisation.
Foreign
internal
differentiation
and

he EU in the area include the Common Foreign and Security Policy


peace and strengthen international security, the Partnership Instrument
with.


to
political

carry EU agendas
partner
countries
forward
translate
asures, election observations, sanctions, and anti-torture measures.
1. EUROPA, Topics Of The European Union - Foreign & Security Policy.

.
()
.2

.
.3
.4
2011

.
2014


.5

6.

.


.
.

2. Grevi and Keohane, Challenges For European Foreign Policy In 2014.
3. ECFR, Rebooting EU Foreign Policy.
4. Fakhoury, Restructuring EU-MENA Relations In The Wake Of The Arab Revolts: A Critical
Perspective From The South.
5. ECFR, Rebooting EU Foreign Policy.
6. FRIDE and HIVOS, The EUs Geopolitical Crossroads In The Middle East.

EU FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

ES

or the Arab
.
G), formerly

ion Council

man, Qatar,
ab Emirates.
.1988
al relations

cooperation
s aims were

egic region,
.
mic relations, and broaden cooperation on key economic
CASG-EU relations formally encapsulate several spheres,
ted issues tend
to dominate
agenda.
.
the

ab uprisings,
CCASG
countries,

and
more
particularly

2011
Saudi
increased their regional significance through a dramatic


interventions

terised by military,
political
and economic
.
s mutation and
continues
thelook at
Gulf states

to
.

through

opportunity, failing to utilise its soft power capabilities to

y.
7
.
man remain largely preoccupied with their own domestic
regionalto

actors

abia, the UAE
and
Qatars response

ntributing to
a dangerous
cycle
of state

breakdown,

on, which negatively impact European interests.

the While

failure of a reprioritisation of strategic relations with region
barrier created
longstanding
when
itsby
internal
disunity
.

Gulf states. Indeed, even substantive policies that would
as

member states, such
incomplete free trade agreement

them
under
a.


The
990, fail to unify
common
EU banner.
he EU did not
improve
Gulf
states

engagement
with
the
erent states pursued separate agendas in parallel bilateral
impediment


1990
mercial gain
is the main
to a strong
European
8. 2015
7

7. ECFR, Responding To An Assertive Gulf.

8. ECFR, Relations With Gulf Cooperation Council States - ECFRs European Foreign Policy
Scorecard 2015.

lf.
ration Council States - ECFRs European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2015.

.

.

.

9 .



.
.

.

.

.
.

.
.

10
.

9. ECFR, Responding To An Assertive Gulf.

10. MacLean, Gulf Arab Power UAE Chides EU Over Opening To Iran.

EU FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

.1979

e its


1979
.2003
olicy

ment

y an

clear

11
fact
.
and realpolitik considerations over the unions
s, namely promoting democracy, human rights,

on.11
2003

).
(
anti
d the European
councils
adoption
of the
.
Iran has
been
almost exclusively implemented
.
mbers and
Germany
(P5+1).
Talks
progressively
( )
eging the
Onefile.
the
featuresnovel
nuclear

of
.
thein .


sis on conditionality
use of
community

disincentives


eating incentives
and
(particularly
consistent
with
EU
policy

inehaviour
a
direction
12
.
cks and carrots resulted
in a seemingly hostile

ommunication that would lead to cooperation.
ormative grounds by many Iranian officials and
11. Adebahr, Taking EU-Iran Relations Beyond The Nuclear File.
s their country
as the
object
rather
subject
12. Kile, Shannon
N. Europe
And Iran.
Oxford: than
Oxford University
Press, 2005.
rception7 and misrepresentation of the country
ely that the Islamic Republic is a threat by its
12

13

.
14. .

.
(
) .

.


.

.15
.

.
.16
2014 (
)

17

.

13. ECFR, Engaging With Iran: A European Agenda.

14. Kile, Shannon N. Europe And Iran. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
15. ECFR, Engaging With Iran: A European Agenda.
16. Kutsch, Iran Deal Unleashes Broader EU Diplomacy With Tehran.
17. ECFR, Engaging With Iran: A European Agenda.

EU FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

1991


2003

.

d
g
S
y
ar
e

1441
.


massof
.
gime and
a potential
weapons

all EU
member
security
states .
to
pass


n a final
opportunity
comply
with
.
to

.

)(CFSP


Foreign
and
Security
Policy
faced
.

sis. The EU had clearly failed to maintain

with, on
one
side, France and Germany
.
n the other,
Spain
the
UK
and

aligning
.2012
European
countries


nvasion.
Other
sided
policy
on
Iraq



incoherent
(Spyer,
;2007

the Iraqi war are often presented as an
of the EUs goals of a CFSP (Kuzmicheva).
9

managed to maintain a relatively unified

iation, the Partnership and Cooperation

.

.

.2014


.

.


. 2003


2014
.

.18
.


.

.
19
.



. 2014
5 17
18. Kuzmicheva, EU Foreign Policies In The Middle East--Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israeli-Palestinian
Peace Process.
19. Mamoun, Military Solution Is Not Enough To Fight ISIS, Says European Union - Iraqi News.

10

2014
.

25 2015 () 65.55
.

.


.
.
( )

.


.




( )1.8 .

11

IGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

.

lution

flict as
2002
.
ussian

2002

ndent

k and

same

donor
20
.
everal

stinian state based on the rule

onciliation
and
the
holding
of
.


with

.
rd to working
the
Israeli
21
of .
a

able settlement
conflict.


2014

devoidmistic and
of
the
crucial

the.


sement of
conflict
1860 2009 would
thein
matter.

recordnisations
.
e Israeli-Palestinian
can
issue

ement mechanism
than
as an
.

12

or a lifting of the Gaza closure

or an end
threats EU
to Israel.
20. to
Eeas.europa.eu,
Relations With Palestine.
21. Lovattits
and government
Tovaldo, How To Revive EU Policy On The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
sively assume
civil administration and through
ed its desire to reactivate and
and EUPOL COPPS missions.

. 2006

.


.
12

2014 .
.

.
.

.



.
()
.
. 2014


22.
.
.

22. ECHO, Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP): Palestine.

13


EU FOREIGN
POLICY
THE MENA


IN
REGION

(
MEDITERRANEAN

. ARAB
2008 (

27


COUNTRIES
WITHIN
THE
UNION

THEMEDITERRANEAN
(UFM)
FOR

.

.
of

agreements

ormerly under the
umbrella
the
Barcelona
Process,
cooperation

between the EU and Mediterranean countries have been re-launched as part of the

Union
for
1995
EU
regional

the Mediterranean
(UfM) in
2008.
The comprehensive
policy is
by a.
partnership
between
EU member
and 10
Southern
Mediterranean
underlined

27

states



countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria

All

in the
European
Neighbourhood
Policy

and
Tunisia.
are also
included
(ENP),
although
Libya
and
Syria
are
not
yet
full
participants
and
remain
outside
most
of
its
structures.
. -
The 1995
Barcelona
what
is now
known
the UfM stated

Declaration
that
spawned

as2008
its key
objective to be the promotion of democracy and human 23
rights, yet, the EU continued to

with
authoritarian

that
upheld
.

unequivocally
cooperate
regimes
stability
in the
region
and
in the Euro-Mediterranean order, prioritising practical and security-driven considerations
over so-called European values.

23. Eeas.europa.eu, Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EUROMED).

12

14

. 2011
.
.

24
.


2010
.

. .
2014

.

.

.
25.

.
.

24. Fakhoury, Restructuring EU-MENA Relations In The Wake Of The Arab Revolts: A Critical
Perspective From The South.
25. Ibid.

15

EU FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MENA REGION

ember

e UK,

the

strong
.1998
emen,

official
th the

men is

celona
. 1998
opean Neighbourhood Policy, and solely maintains bilateral
.
.
n agreement, the EUs policy towards Yemen has mainly been

good


2015


as it states
promoting
governance
and
fighting
against
The agreement
also
briefly
touches
on
mutually-beneficial

12 35 d policies..

descent into
widespread
armed
conflict
and
its UN
classification
HO raised
its
humanitarian
by an
additional
Million,
funding

12
49
Million. These funds
are
mainly
used
to
assist
communities
.2015 .

on and victims of conflict and forced displacement with 49%

ASH assistance in 2015. The remaining funds are respectively
otection, coordination, and shelter.

16

:


.
.

.
.


.

.
.



.
26
27.
.
.

26. ECFR,. Rebooting EU Foreign Policy.

27. FRIDE and HIVOS, The EUs Geopolitical Crossroads In The Middle East.

17

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Adebahr Cornelius. Taking EU-Iran Relations Beyond The
Nuclear File. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace
2015.
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ECFR.Engaging With Iran: A European Agenda 2015. http://
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ECFR.Rebooting EU Foreign Policy 2014. http://www.ecfr.
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ECFR.Responding To An Assertive Gulf 2015. http://www.
ecfr.eu/publications/summary/responding_to_an_assertive_gulf.
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ECFR. Relations With Gulf Cooperation Council States ECFRs European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2015 2015. http://
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http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/funding/decisions/2014/
HIPs/palestine_en.pdf.
EEAS. EU Relations With Palestine 2015. http://eeas.europa.
18

eu/palestine/index_en.htm.
EEAS.Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EUROMED) 2015.
http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/index_en.htm .
European Policy Centre.A Plan BC And D For An EU Policy
Towards Iran. Brussels 2015. http://www.epc.eu/documents/
uploads/pub3561aplanbcand_d_for_an_eu_policy_towards_
iran.pdf.
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Fakhoury Tamirace. Restructuring EU-MENA Relations In
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South. Government Gazette 2012. http://governmentgazette.
eu/?p=3804.
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Middle East. Transitions And Geopolitics In The Arab World:
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20