Europe’s Return to United Nations Peacekeeping? Challenges, Opportunities and Ways Ahead

This paper examines the core challenges, opportunities and ways ahead for a select number of European countries’ efforts and the policies of the European Union to intensify their efforts within the United Nations Peacekeeping system. While during the last two decades most European countries have focused their efforts on financial and political support, recent internal (including the ongoing revisions of the UN’s Command and Control structures) and external developments (such as the withdrawal of major combat forces from Afghanistan after 2014 and the adjustments of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP) provide an unprecedented window of opportunity for ‘Europe’s return’ to UN Peacekeeping. At the inter-organizational level, the European Union has tried to strengthen its cooperation with the UN both through civilian and military contributions via CSDP as well as the EU-UN Action Plan of 2012 – 2014. At the member states level, an avant-garde group of “Friends of the UN” (Belgium, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden) have voiced their support for a stronger re-engagement.

Drawing on the first results of an international Collaborative Research Network (CRN), this paper will provide an initial assessment of the political, societal and military challenges, opportunities and ways ahead for a stronger European engagement in UN peacekeeping - both at the member state and inter-organizational level.