Policy Fora May, 29, 2009
Madrid (Auditorio de Uría Menéndez), 28-29 May 2009
On the occasion of the European Peacebuiling Liason Office (EPLO) General Assembly hosted by CITpax in Madrid and with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) a seminar was convened to analyse the role of civil society in the development of European policies, in particular those related to peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as the strengthening of the mediation capacities of the Union. The seminar analysed the priorities of the Spanish presidency of the EU, and the different possibilities for a constructive and sustainable cooperation with civil society to develop these priorities.
EPLO members had the opportunity to share their views and proposals with representatives of the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
The meeting was considered a unique opportunity to disseminate the future strategy of the Spanish Presidency among 25 specialised peacebuilding institutions belonging to this European Network (EPLO) of which CITpax is also member.
Among other objectives, the seminar looked at previous contributions of EPLO to European presidencies within the existing strategic cooperation framework between the EU and EPLO. Based on previous experiences, the group of experts analysed the future of this cooperation and possible adaptations and fine-tuning according to the priorities established by the Spanish Presidency in 2010. In addition, EPLO members had the opportunity to share their views and proposals with representatives of the Spanish Presidency of the EU who presented their priorities for 2010. Finally, EPLO members discussed the different cooperation mechanisms and possible contributions that civil society can put forward in order to contribute to the development of the priorities of the EU Presidency.
