On Tuesday 21 December the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, presented their new policy to support the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants into a post-conflict community.
This revised policy, which is in addition to the EU’s peacekeeping activities, consists of strengthening the EU’s direct involvement and coordination with Member States and partner countries in managing the former combatant phenomenon.
The Commission wants to link “short-term, swift responses with long-term engagement”. In terms of actions, it says it wants to work during “all stages of conflict, even when violence is ongoing”.
The EU institution will, for example, set up a dedicated inter-service working group made up of representatives of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Commission services. It will oversee the work on DDR.
Expertise in this area will also be included in teams of EU mediators to ensure that ceasefire agreements include DDR-related clauses.
“Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants play a key role in the EU's efforts towards sustainable peace and prevention of resurgence of violence. The EU will increase its impact on these processes by making full use of available policies, tools, and instruments across different sectors”, said Josep Borrell in a statement.
See the joint communication: https://bit.ly/3Eb8HyE (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)