Assistance in putting EU foreign policy into action in a policy-driven approach

The Service for Foreign Policy Instruments supports the European Commission in meeting EU foreign and security policy objectives while projecting the EU’s interests and image in the world. The Service’s main areas of intervention are crisis response, conflict prevention, and peace building. They do things like help countries cope with crises and maintain peace and security, observe elections and prevent trade in conflict diamonds among other actions.

Currently, the Service’s work is funded by the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), but this will soon fall under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI). A  substantial redesign of the EU’s framework for financing external activities, NDICI streamlines a number of existing external financing instruments including the IcSP. The provisionally agreed NDICI will consist of three pillars: (1) geographic, (2) thematic (including four different areas, one of which is peace, stability and conflict prevention) and (3) rapid response.

Improving the overall quality and conflict sensitivity of EU actions

The NIRAS team will be responsible for providing a quality review and assessment of logical and monitoring frameworks of actions, using conflict sensitive indicators, gender sensitivity and human rights standards, in line with IcSP core indicators.

The experts will also facilitate proper use of the existing risk assessment matrix formats for capacity- building in support of (1) security and  development (CBSD) and (2) development and security for development (CBDSD) actions and other actions as appropriate. Risk analysis may also be helpful for other security activities such as counter-terrorism.

Another task will be to ensure that the robust action-level conflict analyses meet minimum quality standards. This is important because actions in relation to the fight against terrorism, cyber- and organised crime, cyber security and CBDSD actions should draw upon these analyses.