Options for the EU to support the African Peace and Security Architecture

European Union engagement with the African Union on peace and security is developing fast, but until now there has been little examination of how effective the engagement is and how it might be improved. In late 2007 the Africa Programme was commissioned by the European Parliament to examine how best the European Union could work to support the emerging Peace and Security Architecture of the African Union, and the subsequent report to the Parliament has just been made public.

Written by the Head of the Africa Programme Alex Vines and researcher Roger Middleton, the report recommends that greater attention be paid to supporting AU administrative capacity and better coordinating EU support to build on commendably rapid progress by the African Union in the face of numerous and complex security challenges.

• Primary Source

European Parliament: DG External Policies: Studies: Options for the EU to Support the African Peace and Security Architecture, February 2008 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/studies/download.do?language=en&file=23448

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