Centre Maurits Coppieters Position on the European Neighbourhood Policy

This paper has been drafted as a contribution to the public consultation “Towards a new European Neighbourhood Policy”, launched by the European Commission.

The contribution focuses on the necessity of rethinking the EU’s policy towards its neighbours, with emphasis on the Southern neighbourhood. The cases of civil society development with regard to the Amazigh (Berber) people and processes of self-determination concerning the Sahraoui people in Western Sahara, are examined in more detail. Furthermore, the Centre Maurits Coppieters calls for:

• a regionally-specific differentiation with a multilateral dimension and a specific focus on the sub-national level;
• an (actual) increased focus on civil society engagement and cross-border cooperation;
• more coherence regarding institutions, policies and funding set-ups;
• more (actual) ownership through engagement on regional and local level.

For more information on the consultation, see here and an overview of the ENP here.