MICROCON - Conflicts in the European Neighbourhood

This five year project, which began in January 2007, was an integrated project funded by the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission. Its aim was to analyse the micro causes of ethno-political conflicts (private violence, property security, gender/ethnic discrimination, etc). 23 institutes were involved in the project, which was led by the Institute of Development Studies (United Kingdom). IAI was the leader of WP11, which explored the role of the EU in conflicts at the mid- and micro-levels by engaging with local civil societies, and examined how the complementarity between the EU and local civil societies could be strengthened at the service of conflict transformation. These issues were tackled by analysing five case studies in the European eastern and southern neighbourhoods: Georgia/Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Moldova/Transnistria, Israel/Palestine and Morocco/Western Sahara. Through the comparative examination of these cases, the research drew policy guidelines tailored to governmental and non-governmental action.

Publications:

• Nathalie Tocci (ed.), The European Union, Civil Society and Conflict, London and New York, Routledge, marzo 2011 (Routledge/UACES contemporary European studies; 19)
• MICROCON Papers (see related contents)