JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL A Strategic Approach to Resilience in the EU's external action
Date: 2017-06-07
Institutions: European Commission, European External Action Service
Subjects: EU action, EU financing, European neighbourhood policy, climate change policy, common foreign and security policy, humanitarian aid, migration policy, participatory democracy, political cooperation, sustainable development

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   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 7.6.2017  JOIN(2017) 21 final   JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL A Strategic Approach to Resilience in the EU's external action {SWD(2017) 226 final} {SWD(2017) 227 final}  
 
 
1. 

Introduction  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  established  a  robust  policy  framework  to  guide  the 
Union's external action, anchored in Article 21 of the Treaty and the Global Strategy for the 
European  Union's  Foreign  and  Security  Policy1  ("EU  global  strategy"),  and  linked  to 
commitments  they  have  taken  at  global  and  regional  level.  The  challenge  now  is  how  to 
sustain progress in the transformational agenda the EU has set itself, against a backdrop of a 
more  connected,  contested  and  complex  global  environment.  The  EU  global  strategy 
identifies strengthening state and societal resilience as part of the response to this challenge.  

The aim of this Joint Communication is to identify how a strategic approach to resilience can 
increase  the  impact  of  EU  external  action  and  sustain  progress  towards  EU  development, 
humanitarian, foreign and security policy objectives, given the more fluid landscape of global 
challenges  and  risks  that  the  EU  global  strategy  describes.  It  recognises  the  need  to  move 
away  from  crisis  containment  to  a  more  structural,  long-term,  non-linear  approach  to 
vulnerabilities, with an emphasis on anticipation, prevention and preparedness.  

It  argues  that  given  the  rapidly  changing  environment,  a  political  approach  is  needed, 
underpinned by a coherent mobilisation of political dialogue, the diplomatic resources of the 
Union  and  its  Member  States,  EU  assistance  and  sectoral  policy  dialogue  and  bilateral 
initiatives. And it proposes the principles and working methods that need to be put in place to 
implement  it.  It  builds  upon  the  experience  of  implementing  the  2012  Commission 
Communication  on  Resilience2,  which  continues  to  guide  relevant  EU  work,  as  well  as 
experience drawn from the EU's promotion of resilience when addressing complex domestic 
policy challenges. 

This  Joint  Communication  also  recognises  that  the  EU  is  not  insulated  from  the  pressures 
affecting  its  external  partners,  and  that  EU  external  policy  can  make  a  contribution  to 
strengthening resilience within the Union itself. In that spirit it proposes that proper linkages 
need  to  be  established  between  internal  and  external  policy,  particularly  in  relation  to  the 
European Agenda on Security. 

2. 

A strategic approach to resilience in the EU's external action 

An ambitious policy framework. There has been an intense effort by the EU over the past 
few  years  to  re-shape  its  external  policy  framework  in  response  to  the  changing  global 
environment.  This  new framework comprises multilateral goals such as the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable  Development,  the  Paris  Agreement  on  Climate  Change  and  the  Sendai 
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Commitments to Action taken at the World 

1 "Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe.  A Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and 
Security Policy". June 2016 

2 "The EU Approach to Resilience – learning from Food Security Crises". COM(2012) 586 final, 3 October 2012 

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Humanitarian  Summit,  as  well  as  the  EU's  own  major  reviews  of  the  European 
Neighbourhood  Policy,  of  its  relations  with  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  countries,  the  
European Consensus on Development, and the establishment of a new level of ambition for 
the  EU's  security  and  defence  policy.  The  Rome  Declaration  has  reconfirmed  the  EU's 
commitment to a stronger role on the global scene. 

A more fluid landscape of global challenges and risks. The EU will be taking forward this 
agenda  in  the  context  of  a  world  where  the  pace  of  change  is  increasingly  rapid  and  the 
pressures  on  states,  societies,  communities  and  individuals  are  increasingly  disruptive. 
Pressures,  marked  by  the  unprecedented  pace  of  globalisation,  range  from  demographic, 
climate change, environmental or migratory challenges beyond the power of individual states 
to confront, to economic shocks, the erosion of societal cohesion due to weak institutions and 
poor  governance,  conflict,  violent  extremism,  and  acts  of  external  powers  to  destabilise 
perceived  adversaries.  There  is  constant  pressure  on  the  respect  of  human  rights  and 
fundamental freedoms. And there is vast unmet humanitarian and development need.   

Chronic  vulnerability  and  fragility  in  Europe's  wider  neighbourhood  is  exacerbating  the 
impact  of  these  pressures.  It  is  hampering  the  development  of  entire  regions  with  potential 
spill-over beyond their borders. 

Fostering resilience to sustain progress. The 2012 Commission Communication on the EU 
approach  to  resilience  defines  resilience  as  "the  ability  of  an  individual,  a  household,  a 
community, a country or a region to withstand, adapt and quickly recover from stresses and 
shocks". The EU global strategy takes the concept further. It speaks of resilience as "a broad 
concept  encompassing  all  individuals  and  the  whole  of  society" that  features  "democracy, 
trust  in  institutions  and  sustainable  development,  and  the  capacity  to  reform". Support  to 
resilience  at  all  levels  is  also  an  integral  part  of  the  new  European  Consensus  on 
Development.  

The EU's strategic approach to resilience aims at achieving and sustaining the ambitious set of 
objectives for the EU's external action described above, by strengthening:  

- 

- 

- 

the  adaptability  of  states,  societies,  communities  and  individuals  to  political, 
economic,  environmental,  demographic  or  societal  pressures,  in  order  to  sustain 
progress towards national development goals; 

the capacity of a state - in the face of significant pressures to build, maintain or restore 
its  core  functions,  and  basic  social  and  political  cohesion,  in  a  manner  that  ensures 
respect  for  democracy,  rule  of  law,  human  and  fundamental  rights  and  fosters 
inclusive long-term security and progress; 

the  capacity  of  societies,  communities  and  individuals  to  manage  opportunities  and 
risks in a peaceful and stable manner, and to build, maintain or restore livelihoods in 
the face of major pressures. 

The ten guiding considerations in Annex identify some of the major methodological insights 
that will shape this work. 

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3. 

Implementing a strategic approach to resilience 

Work will be taken forward along the following three interlinked lines: 

- 

- 

- 

expanding  the  contribution  that  EU  external  action  can  make  to  strengthening 
resilience of partner countries and their citizens while consolidating and delivering on 
existing resilience commitments; 

enriching  sectoral  policy  dialogue  with  partner  countries  by  drawing  upon  the  EU's 
experience in promoting resilience in its domestic policy, and its research base;  

ensuring that EU external policy effectively contributes to resilience within the Union.  

This  work  will  be  grounded  in  the  EU's  commitment  to  democracy  and  human  and 
fundamental rights. 

3.1   Expanding the contribution that EU external action can make to strengthening 

state, societal and community resilience in partner countries 

The  EU  will  continue  to  implement  the  2013-2020  Resilience  Action  Plan,  guided  by  the 
2013 Council Conclusions on an EU approach to resilience. But the EU's resilience approach 
will  expand  to  address  state,  societal  and  community  resilience,  informed  by  the  new 
European  Consensus  on  Development.  It  will  place  a  greater  emphasis  on  addressing 
protracted  crises,  the  risks  of  violent  conflict  and  other  structural  pressures  including 
environmental degradation, climate change, migration and forced displacement.  

This approach will be aligned with EU commitments in the 2030 Agenda, notably to "leave 
no one behind" and the pledge in Sustainable Development Goal 16 to promote "peaceful and 
inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice and build effective, 
accountable and inclusive institutions".  

Resilience and inclusive and participatory societies 

There  is  a  strong  body  of  evidence  showing  the  link  between  inclusive  and  participatory 
societies,  with  accountable,  transparent  and  democratic  institutions,  and  sustainable 
development and the prevention of violent conflict. Conversely, shortcomings in governance, 
democracy,  human  rights  and  the  rule  of  law,  gender  equality,  corruption  or  the  shrinking 
space  for  public  participation  and  civil  society,  pose  a  fundamental  challenge  to  the 
effectiveness  of  any  society's  development  efforts.  The  quality  of  governance  and  public 
administration determines the performance of a country in all public policy domains, shaping 
economic  prosperity,  social  and  territorial  cohesion,  and  sustainable  growth.  Resilient 
societies  are  underpinned  by  sustainable  and  balanced  socioeconomic  development  that 
anticipates  and  addresses  socioeconomic  inequalities,  vulnerabilities,  and  their  root  causes. 
This understanding is at the heart of the EU's approach to state and societal resilience.  

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The EU should: 

- 

continue to support domestic efforts, tailored to the needs and context of each society, 
to  build  sustainable  democratic  states,  accountable  and  transparent  institutions, 
reform  the  security  sector,  strengthen  the  rule  of  law,  broad-based  inclusive  growth 
and employment, participatory decision-making and public access to information. The 
involvement of local governments, communities and civil society stakeholders will be 
given particular attention. 

Resilience in practice – building resilience in a post-conflict situation:  
the case of Nigeria 

Addressing  vulnerability  and  fragility  in  Africa  is  a  global  priority,  demanding  collective 
action  from  all  stakeholders  to  address  the  interlinked  challenges  of  poverty,  inequality, 
conflict,  violent  extremism  and  climate  threats.  Protracted  crisis  in  the  region  also  has 
significant spill-over effects for the EU. 

The  EU  response  to  the  crisis  in  Northern  Nigeria  is  an  example  of  a  joined-up  resilience 
approach, based on joint analysis (conducted together with the World Bank and UN) and joint 
strategic  planning.  A  substantial  package  of  assistance  will  aim  to  enhance  resilience  of 
conflict-affected  people  and  begin  reconstruction  in  North  Eastern  Nigeria.  It  builds  on  the 
existing emergency response, to gradually move into recovery and rehabilitation, utilising both 
humanitarian and development funds.  

Resilience in practice – resilience and support to our partners in the EU's five guiding 
principles towards Russia 

The internal resilience of the Union is an integral consideration of our external policy towards 
Russia.  The  five  guiding  principles  agreed  by  the  Foreign  Affairs  Council  in  March  2016 
recognise  the  need  to  strengthen  engagement  with  a  neighbourhood  that  extends  as  far  as 
Central Asia. They also identify the need to strengthen the resilience of the EU, in particular 
on energy security, hybrid threats and strategic communication. They aim to ensure that both 
the  Union  and  its  neighbouring  partner  countries  remain  free  to  make  their  own  political, 
diplomatic and economic choices, by reducing the scope for external leverage or coercion. 

Economic resilience 

Economic  resilience  is  a  key  factor  of  the  overall  resilience  of  a  country,  and  is  strongly 
correlated  to  other  facets  of  resilience.  Enhancing  economic  resilience  includes  sound 
macroeconomic policies. It also requires attention to other factors such as ensuring adequate 
financing of the infrastructure necessary to provide essential public services, ensuring a more 
diversified  economy  with  efficient  and  secure  energy  supply,  and  the  necessary  financial 
contingency  measures,  and  measures  to  ensure  continuity  of  business  and  the  protection  of 
vital services and key facilities in the face of shocks.   

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While macroeconomic stability is essential for social development, macro-level stabilisation 
and adjustment policies can entail costs. Such pressures can exacerbate existing inequities and 
societal  tensions,  particularly  when  they  affect  the  most  vulnerable.  Policies  need  to  be 
designed  to  mitigate  these  consequences.  The  upgrading  of  statistical  and  forecasting 
capacities is a condition to improve policy making and monitoring. 

Economic  resilience  also  requires  providing  the  conditions  for  sustainable  and  inclusive 
growth,  investment  and  financing.  This  starts  with  a  diversified  economy  that  is  not  overly 
dependent  on  single  sectors  or  companies,  and  has  a  supportive  environment  for  new 
businesses  and  SMEs  to  grow.  The  promotion  of  the  circular  economy,  which  reduces 
resource dependency, can also contribute to this goal. Moreover, giving workers the necessary 
skills and access to training will help them to adapt to structural changes.  

Investment by foreign companies can help countries upgrade their economies, but this needs 
to be matched with incentives for multinational enterprises to ensure respect for human rights, 
including labour rights.   

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

support  partner  countries  in  developing  economic  resilience  underpinned  by 
macroeconomic stability, and accompanied by measures aimed at promoting inclusive 
growth  and  mitigating  the  potential  negative  transitional  impact  on  some  groups  in 
society; particular attention should be given to skills development, creation of decent 
jobs,  social  protection,  and  economic  empowerment  of  disadvantaged  groups  in  this 
context; 

work  with  the  European  Investment  Bank,  other  International  Financial  Institutions 
(IFIs),  business  sector  organisations  and  social  partners  to  enhance  investment 
frameworks  for  economic  and  social  resilience,  underpinned  by  inclusive  economic 
development,  job  creation  and  the  promotion  of  business  and  access  to  finance;  it 
should  make  full  use  of  the  proposed  External  Investment  Plan  in  pursuit  of  this 
agenda. 

A greater emphasis on needs resulting from protracted crises 

The level of humanitarian need related to displacement resulting from violent conflict is the 
highest  ever  recorded.  Whole  regions  are  stuck  in  a  state  of  protracted  crisis  and  fragility, 
where  the  impact  of  chronic  natural  disasters,  environmental  degradation  and  conflict 
intersect  and  magnify  each  other.  Currently  22%  of  the  world  population,  or  1.6  billion 
people3, live in fragile situations, with the figure expected to rise further by 2030.4 In addition 

3 OECD(2016), States of Fragility 2016: Understanding violence 

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to the rising numbers of people in humanitarian need, people are affected for longer periods of 
time.  The  average  duration  of  displacement  is  now  17  years.  Two  thirds  of  international 
humanitarian  assistance  now  goes  to  long-term  recipients, as  a  result  of  protracted crises  or 
recurrent disasters in the same region.  

The  traditional  linear  division  of  labour  between  humanitarian  aid  and  development 
cooperation has been changing in the face of this new reality.  Structural fragility, which has 
both  short-term  and  long-term  socioeconomic  and  political  impacts,  needs  to  be  addressed 
more effectively in order to break recurring cycles of emergencies. The EU's current model of 
addressing  crises  needs  to  become  better  attuned  to  a  situation  where  poverty,  population 
growth,  climate  change,  rapid  urbanisation,  competition  for  limited  resources,  conflict  and 
violent extremism are creating whole regions of instability.  

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

- 

prioritise  and  enhance  close  cooperation  of  EU  political,  humanitarian  and 
development  actors  on  protracted  crises  and  protracted  displacement,  while 
respecting  the  distinct  mandates  established  by  the  Treaties,  and  humanitarian 
principles;    

encourage  Governments,  through  political  dialogue,  with  support  from  development 
partners,  to  take  more  responsibility  for  chronic  vulnerability  and  strengthen  local 
capabilities for risk management and an earlier, local response;    

mobilise  its  capacity  for  diplomatic  engagement,  sectoral  policy  dialogue  and 
assistance programming in a coherent way around an improved shared analysis of all 
factors – including socioeconomic, political and environmental risks  that compound 
vulnerability to existing hazards.  

Resilience in practice - understanding the gender dimension, an example from conflict 
and disaster policy 

Case studies show that climate change, disasters and violent conflict can affect gender groups 
in  different  ways.  These  factors  need  to  be  properly  understood  and  addressed  in  any 
resilience analysis.  

In  some  cases  disasters  and  conflicts  can  underscore  patriarchal  social  norms  that 
disproportionately restrict women and girls’ equal access to rights and resources, and they can 
also create a shift in gender roles and norms.   

4  One  Humanity:  Shared  Responsibility  -  Report  of  the  Secretary-General  Ban  Ki  Moon,  for  the  World 
Humanitarian Summit, 2016 

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Women  and  girls  can  also  play  an  active  and  important  role  in  contributing  to  societal 
resilience  that  can  underpin  peace.  Ensuring  that  women  and  girls  are  well  informed  and 
actively participate in peace building and recovery efforts not only ensures that their specific 
needs and capacities are taken into consideration, but can also create a window of opportunity 
for  social  change,  by  challenging  traditional  gender  roles  and  gender-based  discrimination.  
This  is  a  further  factor  of  societal  resilience,  and  can  ensure  more  suitable  and  sustainable 
outcomes for EU-supported work.   

The  specific  contribution  of  women  to  strengthening  resilience  to  violent  conflict  within 
societies also needs to be fully recognised, as well as their role when engaging communities in 
the prevention and resolution of conflict and countering violent extremism.  

Resilience and the prevention of violent conflict 

A  resilience  approach  to  the  prevention  of  violent  conflict  aims  at  improving  interventions, 
through  better  understanding  of  the  factors  that  lead  to  violent  conflict  and  identifying  the 
endogenous  capacities  within  a  society  that  can  allow  some  communities  to  resist  a  drift 
towards  violence.  It  can  give  traction  to  initiatives  for  peace,  and  support  to  local  conflict-
resolution mechanisms, particularly in countries where the state may have an ambiguous role 
as both a source of political authority and as a source of violence or coercion.  

Such an approach also means broadening the range of responses considered, for instance by 
giving greater weight to contribution of employment and social policy to societal resilience in 
in  governance 
national  recovery  programmes,  working 
arrangements for access to natural resources, and strengthening the gender dimension (see box 
above). 

to  ensure  social 

inclusion 

There  is  also  scope  to  enhance  the contribution  of  the  EU's  Common  Security  and Defence 
Policy  (CSDP)  partnerships  to  strengthening  resilience,  in  line  with  the  May  2017  Council 
Conclusions on Security and Defence.  This could include training and capacity building, and 
work under the Capacity Building in support of Security and Development initiative. 

All of this needs to be underpinned by joined-up political and diplomatic work by the EU and 
its Member States. 

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

strengthen  its  work  on  conflict  prevention  and  peacebuilding  through  introducing  a 
resilience  dimension  that  puts  a  stronger  emphasis  on  a  more  complete,  shared 
analysis,  engagement  at  community  and  state  level,  and,  where  appropriate,  the 
rolling out of the integrated approach to conflict and crisis set out in the EU global 
strategy; 

give greater weight in its conflict assessment methodology to local capacities to deal 
with  risks,  and  the  positive  factors  of  resilience  within  a  community,  alongside  an 

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analysis  of  the  power  relationships  and  external  pressures  that  can  lead  to  societal 
breakdown; also take greater account of the link between environmental fragility and 
the  risk  of  violent  conflict,  and  systematically  include  climate  and  environmental 
indicators in conflict early warning systems; 

- 

use this strengthened analysis to inform and enhance political efforts by the EU and 
its  Member  States  to  prevent  conflict,  through  political  dialogue,  a  collective 
diplomatic response, and engagement with partners such as the UN. 

Resilience, climate change and environmental degradation 

Climate  change,  natural  disasters  and  environmental  degradation  are  interlinked  and  have  a 
far-reaching impact on the resilience of communities and the ecological support systems upon 
which life depends.  They are cause or contributing factors to many conflicts worldwide. 

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

- 

broaden  its  approach  to  these  challenges  and  put  greater  emphasis  on  the 
conservation,  restoration  and  sustainable  management  of  natural  resources  and 
ecosystems,  and  maintenance  of  the  services  that  they  provide.  This  should  be  done 
alongside  current  work  on  building  resilience  in  relation  to  extreme  events  such  as 
drought, famine and floods5; 

when assessing vulnerability, look not only at the intensity of events, but also at their 
frequency  and  likelihood;  factor  long-term  environmental  pressures  into  the 
assessment and response, such as deforestation and increasing water demand, as well 
as the need to anticipate the consequences of natural disasters and slow-onset events, 
such as land degradation, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and melting of glaciers; 

require  more  systematically  environmental,  climate  and  disaster  risk  assessments, 
integrate  them  into  early  warning  systems  to  identify  the  potential  impact  of 
catastrophic  sudden  and  slow  onset  risks,  as  well  as  to  identify  and  prioritise 
preventive  and/or  adaptive  measures  for  risk  informed  investments,  development, 
territorial and urban planning. 

The EU is also committed to work with local authorities to boost resilience in rapidly-growing 
urban  areas,  where  lack  of  planning  or  investment  in  measures  to  mitigate  climate  and 
geophysical  risks  can  expose  populations  to  significant  human  and  economic  damage  when 
shocks  and  stresses  occur.  Addressing  underlying  risk  factors  through  risk-informed  public 

5 The crucial role of well-functioning ecosystems, and the services they provide, is recognised in the EU's Nature 
Action Plan. 

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and private investments is proving more cost-effective than relying on post-disaster response. 
In  this  context,  the  EU  will  also  continue  to  build  on  established  sectoral  dialogue  on 
sustainable  urbanisation  with  major  partners  and  institutions,  including  regional  and  local 
authorities, to strengthen their resilience and innovation capacity, in line with the objectives of 
the New Urban Agenda.  

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

- 

promote the use of ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk-reduction; 

promote  risk  transfer  through  risk  financing  mechanisms  such  as  insurance  and 
contingency credit; 

work with local authorities to develop governance systems that promote resilience to 
climate change, and the sustainable management of natural resources. 

This  work  will  be  accompanied  by  reinforced  EU  political  outreach,  notably  through  the 
Green  Diplomacy  Network,  the  G7  working  groups  on  Climate  and  Fragility,  the  G7 
InsuResilience  partnership,  and  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate 
Change. The EU should also work through other relevant fora, including the UN and relevant 
multilateral  environmental  agreements 
the 
environmental contribution to stability and security. 

to  raise  awareness  among  partners  of 

Resilience, migration and forced displacement 

The  2030  Agenda  recognises  the  positive  contribution  of  migrants  to  inclusive  growth  and 
sustainable  development.  It  also  takes  into  account  the  vulnerabilities  and  needs  of  forcibly 
displaced  people.  Properly  designed  migration  policies  can  strengthen  economic  resilience, 
both in the host countries and in the communities of origin. Moreover, at an individual level, 
migration  and  flight  can  be  a  legitimate  adaptation  strategy  to  severe  external  stresses.  But 
sudden,  sustained  or  large  scale  migratory  pressures,  including  pressures  from  forced 
displacement, often fall most heavily on some of the poorest parts of the world, putting further 
stress on fragile coping mechanisms. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by this. And 
Europe can also expect to remain a destination for many, which in addition for the impact this 
will have on the EU, has implications for the transit countries on its geographical periphery. 

A resilience approach to migration means designing policy to reflect how migratory patterns 
respond  to  the  complex  interaction  between  demography,  institutional  and  democratic 
weaknesses, economic and social imbalances, violent conflict, environmental degradation and 
climate change. It means continuing to invest in a sound evidence base for policy, and making 
timely investments in response.  

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The EU should work to further develop the following key dimensions of a resilience approach 
to migration and forced displacement by: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

ensuring that work on migration is fully embedded in our overall political relationship 
with  partner  countries.  And  that  it  is  based  on  the  principles  of  ownership,  shared 
responsibility and the full respect of humanitarian and refugee law, and human rights 
obligations, including the right to protection;   

addressing  root  causes  of  irregular  migration,  some  of  which  are  deep-seated, 
including  poverty,  inequality,  demographic  growth,  lack  of  employment,  education 
and  economic  opportunities,  instability,  conflict,  climate  change  and  environmental 
degradation, and the long-term consequences of forced displacement;  

fostering  self-reliance  and  enabling  the  displaced  to  live  in  dignity,  including  as 
contributors to their host societies6. This requires a new people-centred development-
oriented approach for the forcibly displaced and their host communities that supports 
access to education, housing, decent work, livelihoods and services, and aims to end 
dependence on humanitarian assistance;  

countering  trafficking  and  organised  crime  networks  that  exploit  migrants  and 
refugees, and apply a gender-sensitive lens to the specific forms of violence affecting 
them;  

supporting  host  communities.  The  EU  should  further  support  targeted  initiatives  to 
improve language and professional skills, access to services and to the labour market, 
inclusive  education, 
inter-cultural  exchanges  and  promote  awareness 
campaigns targeting both host communities and migrants; 

foster 

strengthen  the  evidence  base  for  interventions,  including  through  devoting  specific 
attention  to  forced  displacement,  drivers  of  migration  and  cooperation  with  non-EU 
countries in the EU framework programme for research and innovation.  

Resilience in practice – understanding the drivers and the interlinkages between 
pressures.  An example of migration, environment and climate change  

Migration  to  the  EU  is  thought  to  be  heavily  influenced  by  environmental  and  climate 
changes, though this driver is difficult to disentangle from economic, demographic and other 
drivers and often goes unreported. Many migrants from Western Africa or Eastern Africa have 
first  been  driven  away  from  their  homes  as  a  result  of  desertification  and  soil  degradation, 
contributing to a pattern of rural exodus in Africa, largely driven by environmental disruptions 
on agricultural systems.  

6  Commission  Communication  on  Lives  in  Dignity:  from  Aid-dependence  to  Self-reliance  –  Forced 
Displacement and Development (COM(2016) 234 final) 

11 

 
 
 
                                                            
The  effects  of  natural  disasters  are  compounded  by  economic  and  demographic  trends  and 
rapid urbanisation. As a result, African cities are often overwhelmed by a large expansion of 
population,  and  unable  to  meet  the  needs  of  their  inhabitants  for  jobs,  housing  or  basic 
services. Recent studies have shown how migrants largely congregate in informal settlements 
in the outskirts of large African cities, as for instance in the case of Accra, where more than 
90% of migrant households live in one severely deprived area with no access to running water. 

3.2  

Strengthening resilience through policy dialogue and bilateral initiatives 

The  EU  is  increasingly  using  a  resilience  approach  to  break  down  silos  when  addressing 
complex domestic policy challenges ranging from economic policy to climate adaptation and 
security  of  energy  supply.  It  has  also  made  a  significant  investment  in  research  to  ensure  a 
sound  evidence  base  for  this  approach,  and  has  developed  a  range  of  analytical  tools  to 
support policy implementation. For many of these challenges the domestic and international 
dimensions of the response are closely interlinked (see box below). This allows us to enrich 
policy  dialogue  with  partner  countries  by  bringing  to  the  table  insights  from  the  EU's 
domestic policy experience. Policy dialogue is a two-way process, and the EU also has much 
to learn from its partners in this way. 

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

- 

draw upon the EU's technical experience of building resilience in its domestic policies 
to  strengthen  bilateral  sectoral  policy  dialogue  and  initiatives;  it  should  seek  to 
expand the contribution of specialised EU agencies to this work; 

seek  to  ensure  that  EU  best  practice  and  standards  are  reflected  in  relevant 
multilateral instruments and policy frameworks, including in the ILO, WHO and G20; 

foster  a  shared  international  knowledge-base  on  resilience  by  involving  non-EU 
countries  in  resilience-related  research  and  innovation  under  Horizon  2020,  and  to 
share and operationalise the results in our international cooperation. 

Resilience in practice – linking the EU's internal and external policy work 

Critical  infrastructure  protection  -  The  concept  of  resilience  has  been  embedded  in  the 
European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection since 2013. This has resulted in the 
development of risk assessment methodologies and research that already informs cooperation 
with  a  number  of  non-EU  countries,  including  Ukraine.  The  concept  has  been  further 
developed in the proposed Regulation on Security of Gas Supply, which includes provisions 
relating  to  risks  stemming  from  non-EU  countries  and  including  effective  cross-border 
measures  in  national  emergency  and  preventive  action  plans.  A  similar  approach  is  taken  in 
the electricity sector. 

12 

 
 
 
Energy  security  -  EU  policy  on  security  of  energy  supply  links  the  concept  of  a  resilient 
Energy  Union  to  global  energy  security  and  to  the  EU's  climate  change  policy7,  including 
enhancing the energy security of partner countries by accelerating the global energy transition 
towards carbon-neutral economies and societies and increasing energy efficiency. EU energy 
and climate diplomacy aims at promoting this approach. 

Climate adaptation - The 2013 Climate Adaptation Strategy has promoted resilience through 
comprehensive  adaptation  strategies  at  national  and  municipal  level,  addressing  vulnerable 
sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and critical infrastructure.  The Strategy is currently being 
evaluated,  and the experience gained within the EU shared with its external partners.  

Civil protection – the EU civil protection mechanism contributes to resilience by improving 
the effectiveness of prevention, preparedness and response to natural and man-made disaster 
in  the  EU,  neighbouring  countries  and  beyond.  It  promotes  the  development  of  risk 
assessments and the financing of prevention and preparedness, training and exercises. 

Economic resilience - the EU is contributing to ongoing work in the G20 focused on building 
the  capacity  to  achieve  sustainable  growth  in  the  face  of  risks  and  pressures  related  to 
structural  challenges;  avoiding  excessive  build-up  of  risks,  imbalances  and  vulnerabilities  in 
the face of shocks. Although this does not establish binding obligations, the work has resulted 
in  a  useful  conceptual  framework  to  inform  policy.  Moreover,  in  line  with  the  EU  global 
strategy,  the  EU  is  developing  a  more  integrated  European  Economic  Diplomacy,  aiming  to 
foster growth and jobs both in non-EU countries and within the EU, by encouraging increased 
involvement and participation of the EU private sector in our partner countries.  

Employment - The EU is supporting the development of a Recommendation on Employment 
and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience within the International Labour Conference. This 
will  provide  guidance  to  governments  on  targeted  employment  and  social  policies  linking 
humanitarian assistance and longer term development.   

Global health risks - The EU has recognised that major human and animal health threats such 
as Ebola, avian influenza, anti-microbial resistance and African swine fever pose a threat not 
only  to  the  resilience  of  health  systems,  but  also  to  societal  and  economic  resilience.  Drug-
resistant  infections  could  by  2050  cause  global  economic  damage  on  a  par  with  the  2008 
financial crisis8. The EU's response has been to develop domestic capacities to anticipate and 
respond  to  severe  and  sustained  outbreaks,  while  strengthening  international  cooperation, 
including with the WHO. It has invested in research and innovation projects to improve early 
detection and surveillance, and develop adequate medical countermeasures. Lack of access to 
water and sanitation, and air pollution, are also recognised as important health threats that the 
EU is actively addressing. 

Research - The EU is already working under Horizon 2020 to develop a sound evidence base 
to inform our action to strengthen resilience. It funds work on resilience in relation to security, 
radical ideologies, the economy, social sciences, water and food security and the challenges of 

7 "A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy", COM 
(2015)80 of 25.2.2015 
8 World Bank figures 

13 

 
 
                                                            
large-scale  migration  and  forced  displacement.  Much  of  this  is  done  in  collaboration  with 
partner countries9. Specialised services such as the European Commission's Knowledge Centre 
on  Migration  and  Demography,  further  the  evidence-base,  while  research-informed  risk 
indexes such as the Global Conflict Risk Index and the Index for Risk Management support 
decisions about prevention, preparedness and response. 

Resilience in practice  -  
Fostering a strategic approach to resilience in the EU’s neighbouring countries 

The  EU  global  strategy  places  a  particular  focus  on  resilience  in  the  EU's  neighbouring 
countries.  This  reflects  the  special  political  commitments  of  the  accession  process  and  the 
EU's  neighbourhood  policy;  the  close  integration  of  our  economies  and  societies;  the 
interdependencies  in  our  broad  security  interests;  and  the  exposure  that  some  of  our 
neighbouring countries have to geopolitical rivalries. 

A  credible  accession  process  grounded  in  strict  and  fair  conditionality  provides  the  political 
foundation to enhance resilience at state and societal level of countries in the Western Balkans 
and Turkey. At the core of this process is the "fundamentals first" approach, focusing on rule 
of law, human and fundamental rights, democratic institutions, including public administration 
reform, as well as economic reforms and competitiveness.   

The  2015  Review  of  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  (ENP)  was  closely  co-ordinated 
with  work  on  the  EU  global  strategy,  and  its  four  priorities10  already  reflect  much  of  the 
Strategy's thinking on resilience. Taking forward the Review will, therefore, be a major part of 
our work on strengthening resilience in the region11.   

The  ENP  works  towards  long-term  social,  economic  and  political  transformation  which 
requires the building up of institutional capacities, working at different levels of civil society 
and with local and regional authorities as well as central government, tackling the entrenched 
interests  of  authoritarian  elites  and  sectarian  narratives  and  implementing  security  sector 
reform.  

Our  collaboration  on  security  policy  is  based  on  developing  a  shared  understanding  of 
interests  and  risks.  This  is  particularly  the  case  in  our  work  on  the  prevention  of  violent 
conflict,  radicalisation  and  extremism,  and  in  our  work  to  strengthen  cyber-security  and 
resilience against hybrid threats.   

9 Examples include the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area 2018-2028 (PRIMA), 
which aims at developing novel solutions for sustainable water management and food production, and the EU-
Africa Research and Innovation Partnership in the area of food, nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. 

10 Good governance, democracy, rule of law and human rights; economic development; the security dimension; 
migration and mobility 

11 See Joint Report on the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy Review, JOIN (2017) 18 final 
of 18.5.2017 

14 

 
 
 
                                                            
An  important  dimension  of  our  resilience  approach  is  to  strengthen  linkages  between  our 
interventions in the region and those beyond. For example our work on energy, transport and 
connectivity links Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood countries, Iran and Central Asia; the 
EU Trust Fund for Africa tackles the root causes of irregular migration across the continent; 
the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis supports Syrian refugees and host 
communities in the Neighbourhood and Turkey.  

A  number  of  key  tools  underpin  our  strategic  approach  to  strengthening  resilience  in  the 
region:  engaging  partners  at  both  state  and  community  level;  increased  collaboration  with 
Member  States,  partner  countries  and  national  and  international  stakeholders  to  enhance 
ownership;  greater  flexibility  of  funding;  more  tailor-made  and  differentiated  relationships 
with  partners;  and  improved  public  diplomacy  and  communication.  At  the  core  of  this  is  a 
political  approach  based  around  new,  mutually  agreed  Partnership  Priorities  or  revised 
Association  Agendas,  based  on  a  clear  assessment  of  shared,  medium-term  priorities, 
underpinned by a commitment to respect human and fundamental rights.  

3.3   Resilience and the security of the EU  

Under  the  EU  global  strategy,  peace  and  security  are  indivisible  from  sustainable  and 
inclusive  development,  the  respect  of  global  norms  and  rules-based  international  systems. 
Promoting  this  agenda  remains  central  to  the  EU's  external  action.  But  the  Global  Strategy 
also  recognises  that  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  subject  to  many  of  the  structural 
pressures  that  test  the  resilience  and  expose  vulnerabilities  of  our  partner  countries.  That  is 
why  it  identifies  the  protection  of  the  EU  as  a  key  task  ahead.    Building  more  resilient 
neighbours is part of the response. But EU external policy, including through the CSDP, has 
also a role in directly contributing to resilience within our borders, at a time when the Union 
has a greater responsibility than ever before to contribute to the security of its citizens. That 
requires better detection of external pressures and threats, coupled with adequate mechanisms 
to ensure an appropriate political response. 

The EU's work on the Security Union also puts resilience at the heart of its approach, while 
addressing the issue of external non-state actors. Under the April 2015 European Agenda on 
Security, the Commission has focused on two broad pillars: tackling terrorism and organised 
crime, and strengthening the Union’s defences and building resilience.    

The  challenge  now  is  to  knit  together  the  internal  and  external  security  dimensions  of  EU 
policy in a way that mutually reinforces them, effectively raises the cost of coercive action by 
external  parties,  and  allows  the  Union  to  anticipate  and  take  early  political  and  operational 
action in response to other kinds of pressures.   

The EU will continue to pursue six main strands of concrete work in this regard:  

- 

Resilience  against  hybrid  threats.  Building  on  the  Joint Framework  on  Countering 
Hybrid  Threats,  a  central  objective  of  EU  efforts  will  be  to  strengthen  protection  of 
infrastructure,  while  diversifying  energy  sources  and  suppliers,  and 
critical 

15 

 
 
strengthening  defence  capabilities.  Priority  will  be  given  to  ensuring  effective 
operational cooperation and secure communication between the Member States, and to 
work with actors across sectors, making use of common tools. Cooperation with non-
EU countries, particularly in the EU's neighbourhood, will be stepped up. 

Cyber-security. The malicious use of Information and Communication Technologies can 

- 
undermine both societal and economic resilience.  Cyber threats have safety and security 
implications, and can cause major damage to the economy. In response both a normative agenda 
and an operational one will be pursued. Work will continue in line with UN efforts to build 
international consensus around the rejection of the malicious use of ICT in or against any kind of 
essential services, regardless of its source, motive, nature or geographic origin. At the same time the 
EU is working to promote the resilience of essential services both internally12 and at the international 
level, and will enhance its cross-border cooperation on this agenda13. 

- 

- 

Strategic communication. The EU and some of its partner countries are targeted by 
external disinformation activities that form part of concerted strategies to discredit the 
political and social systems that are central to our identity, to our security and stability. 
In response  measures to increase citizens' resilience to hostile disinformation will be 
further  developed  by  raising  awareness,  by  supporting  greater  media  plurality  and 
professionalism, and by communicating positive narratives and fact-based messages. 

The EU should strengthen the resources of the East Stratcom Task Force and intensify 
its cooperation with EU institutions, Member States and likeminded partners. Longer 
term  strategic  approach  and  outreach  towards  Eastern  Partnership  countries  will  be 
further  developed,  focusing  on  people-to-people  exchanges,  and  on  working  with 
existing  civil  society  networks  that  already  represent  a  source  of  community-based 
resilience.  A  similar  approach  will  be  pursued  in  the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey, 
with  a  reinforced  team  to  deal  with  strategic  communication  in  candidate  countries 
and potential candidates. 

The  EU  should  also  develop  an  outreach  strategy  to  the  Arab  world  that  addresses 
terrorist propaganda and the use of the internet in radicalisation, and promotes human 
and fundamental rights. 

The work to strengthen state and societal resilience described above is central to the 
EU's approach to counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism. Prevention 
of  radicalisation  requires  a  carefully  adapted  strategy  that  responds  to  the  various 
drivers  of  violence.  Improved  legal  frameworks  and  effective  institutions  to  detect, 
prevent and disrupt terrorist organisations and their sources of funding is essential. But 

12  For  example,  Directive  (EU)  2016/1148  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  6  July  2016 
concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the Union, 
COM(2016) 410 final and the review of the 2013 EU Cybersecurity Strategy planned for September 2017. 

13  Including  work  with  the  EU's  main  trade  partners  toward  stronger  cybersecurity  for  connected  objects,  as  
announced in the Digital Single Market mid-term review COM (2017) 228 final of 10.5.2017 

16 

 
 
                                                            
- 

- 

to have the desired impact, such work will need to go hand in hand with ensuring the 
protection of the rights and civic space that helps create peaceful and stable societies 
less susceptible to the message of violent extremism. The EU will encourage partner 
countries  in  its  Counter-Terrorism  dialogue  to  address  the  issue  across  all  relevant 
policies, not just as a security response. This includes ensuring that local practitioners 
can  identify  and  address  the  early  warning  signs  of  radicalisation,  including  online 
radicalisation. 

Enhancing  the  security  of  critical  transport  infrastructure.  Increased  security  of 
critical  transport  is  an  important  element  of  co-operative,  connected  and  automated 
mobility that underpins a global, inter-connected economy. The EU should strengthen 
its  engagement  with  non-EU  countries  to  mitigate  threats  to  transport  infrastructure 
and services. It should reinforce the access to co-operation at expert level, in support 
of capacity building, awareness strategies, tools and information networks, as well as 
improving the role of police and judiciary systems. 

Further  developing  cooperation  with  NATO  and  the  OSCE.  The  EU  and  NATO 
have  agreed  a  number  of  measures  to  bolster  resilience  as  part  of  their  work  on 
countering hybrid threats. These include intensification of staff contacts on resilience 
requirements,  promoting  greater  coherence  between  the  EU  Capability  Development 
Plan  and  the  NATO  Defence  Planning  Process,  and  working  to  be  ready  to  deploy 
experts upon request to support EU Member States or NATO allies in enhancing their 
resilience, either in the pre-crisis phase or in response to a crisis. 

This work has underlined the interdependencies between civil authorities, military and 
private sector in strengthening the resilience of Member States to hostile acts by state 
and non-state actors. These interdependencies range from the reliance of the military 
on  civilian  logistical  and  telecommunication  capabilities,  to  the  reliance  of  civil 
authorities  on  military  capabilities  for  handling  disruptive  events  affecting  large 
numbers of citizens. These interdependencies will be explored with a view to coming 
forward with  proposals to  the Council for further possible future  co-ordinated  work-
streams with NATO. 

There  is  considerable  scope  to  explore  collaborative  work  on  resilience  with  the 
OSCE, in view of the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security encompassing the 
military, the economic and environmental as well as the human dimensions. 

4. 

The way forward – four building blocks to incorporating a strategic approach to 
resilience in the EU's external action 

The EU global strategy's emphasis on resilience underlines a significant change in the way the 
EU manages the risk and impact of disruptive shocks and pressures in its external policy. It 
recognises  that these  pressures and shocks are part  of the context  in  which  the EU operates 
and  should  be  factored  into  the  way  we  work,  rather  than  being  seen  as  an  unexpected 
exception.  This implies a progressive shift in emphasis from crisis containment to upstream 

17 

 
 
measures  founded  in  long-term,  but  flexible,  country  and  regional  strategies  that  are  better 
risk-informed  and  less  instrument-driven.  It  also  implies  a  greater  attention  to  risk  factors 
affecting  EU  interests.  Ultimately  the  aim  will  be  to  combine  political  dialogue,  sectoral 
policy dialogue, technical and financial assistance in an effective way upstream of a crisis.  

All this requires a rethink of the EU's problem analysis and design of programmes, as well as 
of  the  methods  of  assessment  of  the  sustainability  of  EU's  interventions.  In  response,  four 
basic building-blocks to incorporating a resilience approach in a systematic way into the EU's 
external action are proposed:  

 

 

improving and sharing analysis of risk at country and regional level so as better to inform 
strategy, political dialogue and programming of assistance; 

instituting  a  more  dynamic  monitoring  of  external  pressures,  and  working  with  the 
Council to ensure a more timely political and diplomatic response;  

 

integrating the resilience approach in EU programming  and financing of external action; 

  developing international policy and practice on resilience. 

4.1 

Improving analysis of risk at country and regional level 

The  EU  has  access  to  a  formidable  body  of  information  about  risks,  pressures  and 
vulnerabilities  to  shock  in  its  partner  countries.  This  knowledge  comes  from  the  EU's 
diplomatic  and  intelligence  networks,  its  operational  field  presence,  the  sectoral  policy 
expertise available in the institutions and Member States, and the monitoring mechanisms of 
the EU agencies. There is  a multiplicity of overlapping risk assessment processes reflecting 
different policy perspectives: humanitarian, conflict, environmental and economic.  There are, 
nontheless, significant gaps, for instance in our ability to predict the impact of climate change, 
environmental  and  other  factors  on  migratory  movements.  In  addition,  analysis  often  gives 
too little emphasis to local resilience capacities and the positive dynamics these can generate. 
And risk assessment processes  are not  always able to  capture in  full the possible impact on 
EU political, security and economic interests. 

While  respecting  the  different  mandates,  there  is  a  need  to  bring  the  various  sources  of 
information  together  in  a  way  that  gives  decision-makers  a  full  picture  of  how  different 
factors  may  interact  to  affect  the  development  and  stability  of  a  country  or  region,  or 
programme objectives. 

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

improve  conflict  sensitivity,  and  address  gaps  in  our  understanding  of  risk,  for 
instance  by  developing  better  mechanisms  to  assess  the  nature  and  impact  of  future 
flows  of  displaced  people  and  migrants,  and  the  relationship  between  climate 
pressures, environmental degradation and violent conflict; 

18 

 
 
- 

streamline  current  assessment  processes  to  ensure  that  a  single  succinct  country 
assessment  identifying  both  risk  and  resilience  factors  is  available  to  guide  policy 
across  the  various  actors  of  EU  external  policy.  This  single  country  assessment  will 
integrate in a more systematic and dynamic way information from the EU's diplomatic 
network,  humanitarian,  crisis  response  and  development  actors  as  well  as  the 
specialised knowledge about the external environment held by the EU's internal policy 
Directorates General and agencies. It would inform political dialogue and the design 
of  assistance  programmes.  It  would  provide  an  analytical  contribution  in  support  of 
the established decision-making processes governing the development of EU country 
strategies, CSDP operations and the programming of external assistance; 

- 

promote  joint  analysis  with  multilateral  partner  organisations  and  bilaterally  with 
like-minded development partners addressing the different dimensions of resilience. 

4.2   A more dynamic monitoring of external pressures to allow early action 

The EU needs to be able to monitor and respond to external pressures affecting the resilience 
of its partner countries and of the EU in both a medium-term and a short-term time frame.   

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

further  develop  the  EU's  Conflict  Early  Warning  System  in  order  to  integrate 
appropriate  indicators  of  resilience  alongside  the  risk  factors  currently  monitored  
The Early Warning System already picks up on many broader indicators of risk and 
vulnerability, such as environmental, climate and demographic pressures14, as well as 
indicators  of  governance  and  institutional  capacity  to  cope  with  such  pressures. 
Monitoring  of  resilience  indicators  could  help  identify  the  tipping  point  at  which 
pressures overwhelm coping mechanisms;  

reflect  the  strategic  importance  of  resilience  when  developing  the  EU's  Integrated 
Approach to external conflicts and crises. The Integrated Approach, as envisaged in 
the  EU  global  strategy,  expands  the  scope  and  ambition  of  the  Comprehensive 
the  2016-2017 
it 
Approach,  and  should  succeed 
Comprehensive Approach Action Plan. 

following  completion  of 

The  Conflict  Early  Warning  System  is  designed  primarily  to  identify  potential  drivers  of 
violent  conflict  in  third  countries,  within  a  four  year  horizon.  It  is  now  proposed  to 
complement  this  with  mechanisms  focused  on  identifying  external  pressures  and  their 
consequences in a short-term horizon, with a view to informing a strengthened and timely EU 
political response. 

14  In  identifying  these  indicators  the  EU  will  draw  upon  scientific  research  conducted  by  the  European 
Commission's Joint Research Centre, and that funded under Horizon 2020. 

19 

 
 
 
                                                            
The EU should: 

--- 

- 

establish a light-touch short-term horizon-scanning system mechanism to identify the 
impact  on  EU  interests  of  external  pressures  identified  in  a  three  to  six  month  time 
frame.  This  will  focus  on  identifying  external  pressures  that  could  present  a  risk  of 
derailing in a significant way a partner country's development process or security, or 
that could have significant consequences for the resilience of the Union. To the  extent 
that data is available it would also provide an initial measure of the consequences for 
the  broader  interests  of  the  Union,  such  as  external  disruptions  to  the  security  of 
energy  supply  and  critical  supply  chains,  public  health  emergencies,  the  impact  of 
crises on EU citizens abroad, and major migratory movements;15 

- 

support  efforts,  including  at  the  UN,  for  the  early  detection  and  prevention  of 
atrocities, including through the development of an atrocity-prevention tool kit.  

Both systems will be designed to support effective decision-making processes upstream of a 
crisis. The Council and the Commission both have central roles to play in this.  

In view of this:  

--- 

- 

- 

- 

the Political  and Security Committee (PSC) will be  invited to consider the results of 
the horizon-scanning mechanism on a regular basis in order to ensure timely political 
guidance for early action; 

the  Presidency  will  be  invited  to  consider  the  relevance  of  the  information  from  the 
horizon-scanning  mechanisms  to  other  relevant  Council  formations,  such  as  the 
Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI); 

the EU should continue to develop mechanisms that integrate flexibility into assistance 
programmes, to allow early appropriate action when risks are identified. 

4.3  

Integrating the resilience approach into EU programming and financing  

The EU will build on existing practice to make an assessment of risk and resilience factors a 
standard  component  of  programming  processes  and  project  design  across  EU  humanitarian, 
crisis response and development assistance, including the EU Trust Funds. Key lessons from 

15 This could include data from the Justice and Home Affairs agencies such as the European Border Guard and 
Cost Guard Agency on migratory pressures, and the  advance cargo information and customs risk management 
system  that identifies  certain threats  to  the security and  integrity of  international  supply chains,  and  to  critical 
infrastructure such as sea-port facilities, airports or land borders. 

20 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
the  resilience  approach  include  the  need  to  be  able  to  work  at  multiple  levels,  including 
community-driven  interventions,  the  need  for  longer  term  programming  cycles  (including 
planning  of  humanitarian  aid)  combined  with  short  term  flexibility,  and  the  need  for 
contingency financing arrangements to address potential disruptive pressures and shocks that 
could  otherwise  derail  the  achievement  of  longer  term  strategic  objectives.  This  should  be 
taken into account in joint programming processes with Member States, which will be further 
encouraged.   

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

update  programming  guidance  where  necessary,  drawing  on  EU  experience  and  the 
methodological work of other multilateral partners on resilience. It should underline 
that  humanitarian  and  development  assistance  in  fragile  environments  should  be 
conflict-sensitive  to  avoid  the  potential  of  negative  impact  and  to  improve 
effectiveness.  Methodologies  to  identify  and  address  such  risks  will  be  further 
developed; 

take  account  in  programme  monitoring  and  evaluation  frameworks  the  fact  that 
strengthening  resilience  requires  long-term  interventions  with  a  high  degree  of 
innovation  and  flexibility  in  their  design,  identifying  appropriate  indicators  and 
acknowledging the challenge to collect qualitative data; 

take  into  consideration  the  strategic  approach  to  resilience  in  its  current  and  future 
financing of EU external action; 

cost-effective innovative risk financing solutions at a regional, national and local level 
should be explored (e.g. contingent credit, catastrophe funds and insurance).  

4.4   Developing international policy and practice 

The  EU  is  working  closely  with  major  international  partners  that  have  developed  their  own 
resilience  policy  frameworks,  including  the  United  Nations,  World  Bank,  Organisation  for 
Economic  Co-operation  and  Development,  European  Bank  for  Reconstruction  and 
Development.  The  EU  has  an  interest  in  developing  a  shared  understanding  and  practice 
around resilience, and in cooperating at operational level where possible. 

The EU should: 

--- 

- 

intensify  policy  and  practical  cooperation  with  international  partners  in  order  to 
share  research  findings  and  methodological  knowledge  and,  where  possible  align 
resilience approaches, share data sets and alert systems; 

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- 

cooperate  more  closely  with  regional  and  sub-regional  organisations  on  resilience 
frameworks, by sharing and exchanging evidence and experience.  

The  High  Representative  of  the  Union  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  Security  Policy  and  the 
European Commission invite the European Parliament and the Council to endorse and support 
the approach set out in this Joint Communication. 

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Annex – 10 guiding considerations for a strategic approach to resilience 

Based  on  the  EU's  experience  following  the  2012  Communication,  and  the  insights  gained 
from the wide consultation process in the preparation of this Communication, the following 
guiding considerations for an effective and strategic approach to resilience can be identified:  

1.  Strengthening  resilience  is  a  means  not  an  end.  The  EU's  strategic  approach  to 
resilience  is  about  building  upon  underlying  institutional  and  societal  strengths  in 
partner  countries  in  order  to  achieve  long  term  sustainable  development  or  security 
goals. It is about securing progress towards these goals  by addressing vulnerabilities 
and underlying structural risks. It recognises that development, and progress towards 
democracy, peace and security, is not a linear process, and that sectoral approaches, on 
their own, are not always enough to ensure sustainable results. 

2.  Understanding the factors of resilience in a given context can help us plan against 
pressures and contingencies in a more effective manner. To do so requires a proper 
understanding  of  the  linkages  between  different  parts  of  the  complex  systems  that 
govern and sustain states, societies and communities, as well as of how they respond 
when faced with sudden-onset shocks, recurrent or long-term stresses.  

3.  Resilience  is  context-specific,  and  requires  tailor-made  approaches.  Although 
there  are  a  number  of  common  characteristics  of  resilient  systems,  it  will  be  for 
practitioners and local actors to develop context-specific working definitions. The role 
of  the  EU  and  other  external  actors  is  to  support  this  process  and  to  foster  societies 
better empowered to identify and solve their own problems. It requires policy makers 
and  development  partners  to  adopt  a  long-term  approach  that  tolerates  the  necessary 
adaptability as approaches are tested and refined. 

4.  Identifying  and  building  upon  existing  positive  sources  of  resilience  is  as 
important as tracking and responding to vulnerabilities. Such factors may take the 
form  of  institutionalised  or  informal  democratic  and  good  governance  or  justice 
systems,  non-state  institutions  and  organisations,  embedded  cultural  norms  and 
practices  or  ad  hoc  community-driven  solutions  that  complement  state  capacities  or 
compensate  for  their  absence.  Resilience  has  to  be  addressed  at  multiple  levels  – 
state, society and community. Local governments and civil society are often the basis 
on  which  resilience  can  take  root  and  grow  at  community  level.  Women  have  a 
specific  and  essential  role  that  needs  to  be  recognised  and  acted  upon,  while 
addressing the structural causes of gender inequality. 

5.  Resilience  is  about  transformation  not  preserving  the  status  quo.  If  resilience  is 
about sustaining the core identity and capabilities of states, societies and communities 
in the face of disruptive pressures, it is also about ensuring their ability to adapt and 
reform  to  meet  new  needs.  Harnessing  the  transformative  dimension  of  resilience  is 
key.  

6.  Resilience  requires  a  political  approach.  Governments  have  primary  responsibility 
for catering for the needs of their populations, and international assistance should not 
be  a  substitute  for  local  responsibility  and  political  action.  All  countries  have 
committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, which include specific references to 
strengthening resilience. Thus the primary responsibility for integrating resilience into 
national and local policy frameworks lies within each country. However, the EU and 
its Member States can support the strengthening of resilience through raising the issue 
as an integral part of its political dialogue, including at the highest level.  

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7.  Resilience  requires  risk-informed programming. Action to  address the underlying 
diverse causes of fragility should be accompanied with risk management measures to 
protect populations from shocks and stresses, limit their impact through early response 
and assist a quick recovery. 

8.  It will not always be possible to address sustained pressures at their point of origin, or 
to  escape  the  consequences  of  a  sudden-onset  crisis.  But  addressing  problems  at  the 
point  of  failure  is  disproportionately  costly.  That  means  building  flexibility  and 
adaptability  to  change  into  programme  design  from  the  outset.  It  also  means 
thinking  about  the  possible  stresses  that  strengthening  or  weakening  one  part  of  a 
system can place on another.  

9.  Early warning needs to be linked to early action. It is not possible to avoid all risks, 
so an effective resilience approach requires decision makers to be able to identify and 
assess pressures in the long, medium and short term, and to take effective early action.  
This  means  that  a  complete  assessment  has  to  be  linked  to  appropriate  decision-
making  processes.  This  is  not  just  about  shocks  (as  in  the  case  of  natural  disaster, 
inter-state  conflict  or  economic  crisis),  it  is  also  about  slow-onset  crises,  recurrent 
pressures,  or  cumulative  long-term  pressures  that  can  reach  a  tipping  point 
(demographic,  environmental  degradation,  climate  change,  migratory  and  other 
chronic stresses).      

10. The  operational  starting  point  is  a  broader  analysis  of  strengths,  vulnerabilities 
and  pressures.  States  and  societies  are  built  around  complex  interdependencies 
between political and security actors, the private sector, civil society, communities and 
individuals. Traditional sectoral policy approaches may not identify all vulnerabilities, 
their  interconnections,  or  anticipate  how  a  system  as  a  whole  will  respond  when  it 
comes  under  pressure,  including  possible  consequences  for  other  States.  That  means 
that  for  any  given  outcome,  risk  –  and  the  ability  to  cope  –  needs  to  be  analysed  at 
multiple levels, particularly at the points at which one factor of resilience, or one set of 
actors  is  dependent  on  the  resilience  of  others,  or  where  power  relations  between 
different  levels  of  society  play  an  important  role.  Typically  this  will  mean  an  "all-
hazard"  approach,  bringing  together  analysis  at  regional,  state,  organisational, 
community and individual level.  

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