EU FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS the SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN - the Case of Egypt During the Arab Spring

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EU FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS the SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN - the Case of Egypt During the Arab Spring MASTER IN ADVANCED EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (MAEIS) – TRILINGUAL BRANCH EU FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN - The Case of Egypt during the Arab Spring Sherin Ahmed El-Badry Sadek Director: Tobias Bütow Nice May 2016 ABSTRACT H o u M rde a rie The EU has consolidated over time its role as an active international foreign policy actor and q u i is recognized as such, while its credibility, legitimacy, leadership and success remain n contested among a broad range of scholars and politicians. An assessment of the role and degree of the European Unions´ success in all its foreign policy fields would go beyond the scope of this research, since it would entail a comprehensive and in-depth account and analysis. Rather this paper will follow a gradual approach towards zooming on Egypt as selected microcosm and scrutinizing the EU foreign policy implementation on in Egypt. The EU policy towards Egypt covers a range of issues, albeit the key ones fall under the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership and the European Neighbourhood Policy. But how successful these policies proved to be, especially in reaction to the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and its aftermath, is a key question that this paper is going to address. More importantly, it will be analysed if these events provided a window of opportunity for the EU to redefine its foreign policy towards the Middle East. In addressing this question, this paper will draw from the theoretical perspective of the EU as international foreign policy actor and examine its policy on Egypt and the Southern neighbourhood. The research will also have a look on the EU´s foreign policy architecture – in terms of objectives, institutions and instruments. This overarching approach serves as good basis upon which an analytical and critical evaluation of the EU´s foreign policy towards the region and Egypt as a representative study case can be properly conducted. Based on the findings, a deductive approach a deductive approach will follow to assess the potential development of the EU as foreign policy actor by proposing a roadmap with recommendations and by referring to the Global Strategy for 2016. KEY WORDS: Arab Spring –Conditionality – Democracy-Security dilemma – deep democracy – EU Foreign Policy – Euro-Mediterranean relations – Egypt – ENP review – FPA – Global Strategy – hierarchy of priorities – MENA region – national foreign policies- political transition – rhetoric-practice gap H o u TABLE OF CONTENTS M rde a rie q u i n List of Figures and tables .................................................................................................... iii List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... iv 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Theorizing EU Foreign Policy – adapted FPA framework ..................................................... 5 1.3 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 State of Research ................................................................................................................ 12 2 EU foreign policy in general ............................................................................................. 15 2.1 Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Institutions .......................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Policy-making regime.......................................................................................... 18 2.2.2 The European External Action Service (EEAS) .................................................... 20 2.2.3 EU Special Representatives (EUSR) ..................................................................... 22 2.2.4 Values and Principles .......................................................................................... 24 2.2.5 National Foreign Policies: Germany and France ................................................. 25 2.3 Toolbox ............................................................................................................................... 32 3 Euro-Mediterranean Relations .......................................................................................... 39 3.1 Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 39 3.2 Institutions .......................................................................................................................... 45 3.2.1 Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP)............................................................. 45 3.2.2 The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) ....................................................... 52 3.2.3 The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) ............................................................ 58 3.3 Toolbox ............................................................................................................................... 66 3.3.1 Conditionality or the principle of “sticks and carrots” ....................................... 66 3.3.2 Financial Instruments: MEDA and ENPI .............................................................. 73 i 3.3.3 Thematic instrument: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) ......................................................................................................................... 78 4 EU-Egypt Relations .......................................................................................................... 84 4.1 Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 84 4.2 Institutions .......................................................................................................................... 91 4.2.1 Pre-Arab Spring Institutional Framework ........................................................... 91 4.2.2 Revised ENP in the course of the Arab Spring .................................................. 103 4.2.3 National foreign policies towards Egypt: France and Germany ....................... 111 4.3 Toolbox ............................................................................................................................. 116 4.3.1 EU Mediation Policy: EU-Egypt Task Force ....................................................... 116 4.3.2 Civil Society Facility and European Endowment for Democracy (EED) ............ 121 4.4 Excursion: Egyptian perception of EU strategies .............................................................. 124 5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 129 6 Outlook: EU Foreign Policy – quo vadis? ...................................................................... 133 6.1 Towards a new roadmap for EU foreign policy ................................................................ 133 6.2 A Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy ............................................................. 137 7 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 140 ii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURE 1: OBJECTIVES-INSTITUTIONS-TOOLBOX (OIT)- APPROACH ........................................... 8 FIGURE 2: MEDA OBJECTIVES.................................................................................................. 73 FIGURE 3: EU-27 – EGYPT TRADE 2003-2007 ........................................................................... 93 TABLE 1: SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY IN THE EU-EGYPT ACTION PLAN AND COUNTRY REPORTS ............................................................................................................................ 54 TABLE 2: TRADE BETWEEN THE EU AND ITS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEIGHBOURS ............... 56 TABLE 3: SCHENGEN VISAS ISSUES FOR NATIONALS OF SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN AND EASTERN NEIGHBOURS ....................................................................................................... 57 TABLE 4: DISTRIBUTION OF THE UFM MEMBERS ....................................................................... 59 TABLE 5: TRAJECTORY FROM EMP TO UFM ............................................................................. 63 TABLE 6: MEDA I VS. MEDA II, COMMITMENTS AND PAYMENTS ........................................... 76 TABLE 7: ENPI BILATERAL ASSISTANCE FOR EGYPT ................................................................. 77 TABLE 8: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MENA COUNTRIES ....................................................... 86 TABLE 9: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ARAB SPRING AND NON-ARAB SPRING COUNTRIES ........... 87 TABLE 10: NATIONAL INDICATIVE PROGRAMMES FOR EGYPT, 2007-13: FINANCIAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................................... 98 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CFSP Common Foreign and Security Policy CSO Civil Society Organization EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EEAS European External Action
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