GPPi debates EU’s new capacity-building plan for African peace and security

At a workshop hosted by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) on May 22, Philipp Rotmann discussed the European Union’s new ​“Enable and Enhance Initiative” (E2I). Rotmann argued that substituting capacity building for European contributions to peace operations is fundamentally flawed. ​“Train and equip” programs need to be embedded in political frameworks that complement, rather than duplicate, existing international support systems. Rather than developing new bilateral programs or more EU military and police missions, said Rotmann, European governments and the EU should invest in UN peacekeeping.