European Neighbourhood Research Articles

Recalibrating the Local Lens: Drivers and Transformations of the European Union's Territorial Agenda in the Southern Neighbourhood

AbstractSince its inception, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has incorporated a local lens in its engagement with Southern partners. However, the capacity of local authorities to enact the political autonomy expected by the European Union (EU) is distant from reality. The article mobilizes the concept of hegemonic narratives in the cases of Morocco and Tunisia to problematize the set of discourses that establish the common understanding of ‘the local’ in the ENP's territorial agenda. We present three narratives that became hegemonic across ENP implementation: ‘the local’ as an agent of development, ‘the local’ as an agent of democratization and ‘the local’ as a provider of resilience. The evidence presented allows us to conclude that ‘the local’ acts as an empty signifier in the EU's territorial agenda in its Southern Neighbourhood. Whilst these narratives have certainly served centralizing trends, they have also been mobilized by or in support of emerging actors that contest them.

Scoping the EU’s health impact in the Southern Neighbourhood: Building resilience and trust

Abstract Background The European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) focuses on security, migration, and economic stability. Strengthening health systems can contribute to these aims by building local resilience and institutions; however, little is known about the EU’s health policy and impacts in the Southern Neighborhood (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco). This paper examines the role of health in the ENP and what is known about the health-related impacts of EU actions in this region. Methods This is a qualitative case study of the EU’s ENP commitments, outcomes, and impacts (2004-2024) in nine middle-income Southern Neighborhood countries. A scoping review of empirical evidence included 5 scholarly databases and grey literature published. Retrieved publications and the ENP documents were thematically analysed with WHO’s health systems building blocks and the alignment between the ENP and practice was assessed. Results ENP health actions have evolved from public health and selected communicable diseases (2004), to health service delivery, vaccine supply, and occupational health (2021). The review included 19 publications (2004-2024). Publications most often addressed the financing (n = 14 papers) and service delivery (n = 9) aspects of health systems (not mutually exclusive), and only once addressed workforce and health information. Publications addressed mostly intentional EU health actions in the region; 4 papers reported unintentional effects. Conclusions The limited scope of health actions in the ENPs suggests health may be instrumentalised to pursue the EU’s security and stability goals. The type of EU health actions reported most often in the literature were consistent with the ENP health priorities. There is no systematic evaluation of the impacts of the EU’s health-related commitments in the ENPs. To build resilience and trust in the region, future EU action should support a range of WHO building blocks and mitigate potential negative effects. Key messages • The EU’s health commitments in the European Neighborhood Policy evolved from public health & communicable diseases (2004), to health service delivery, vaccine supply, & occupational health (2021). • There is no systematic empirical evaluation of the impacts of the EU’s health-related commitments in the European Neighborhood Policy.

Area-Level Factors of Dental Caries in Children and Adolescents in European Neighborhoods - a Systematic Review.

The WHO emphasizes the importance of taking area-level factors into account when formulating public health interventions. The aim of this systematic review was to identify which area-level factors are associated with children's dental caries in Europe and might therefore be a suitable starting point for public health interventions. We conducted a systematic review based on a search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library including all European studies on caries in children and their area-level factors published since the year 2000 in English or German. We included 39 studies and identified 13 area-level factors investigated in the literature: degree of urbanization, deprivation, mean housing price, gross-national product, mean level of education, unemployment proportion and income, density of supermarkets, snack bars and dental offices, health, diet, and crime. Rural residency and higher unemployment were weakly associated with poorer oral health regarding dental caries. Deprivation showed a stronger (inverse) association. For income, findings were ambiguous; studies showed associations in both directions. For the other determinants, the included studies found no association. Many studies reported associations between place of residence and children's dental caries, but the mediators on this causal path are still not clearly established. The area-level factors analyzed in this review seem to play a role, but more studies with designs that allow causal interpretation of findings are needed to establish solid robust evidence that can be used in the formulation of future health policies.

The case for a circular Blue Card for young non-EU professionals

Due to the challenging demographics in Europe, a new approach to labour migration to the EU is necessary. Such an approach should be more targeted and thus entail a more proactive and integrated stance. Whilst some moves in this direction have been made in recent years, more are required. This article charts one possible route to a more proactive and integrated policy by proposing the creation of European university campuses outside of Europe to act as hubs of academic, cultural, linguistic and labour exchange, similar to the American system. This approach would not only address the current labour force challenges but would also hold the potential to significantly enhance academic and cultural exchange. Many of the required elements are already in place: numerous bilateral universities, for example, already exist, such as the German Jordanian University, as do various European research and cultural institutes. Such campuses, combined with a new circular Blue Card for young non-EU professionals, would have benefits for both the member states and the selected partner countries. The article concludes by proposing the implementation of concrete test cases in the European neighbourhood.

Street tree communities reflect socioeconomic inequalities and legacy effects of colonial planning in Nairobi, Kenya

Street trees provide ecological and social benefits that sustain urban life, yet their distribution frequently mirrors socioeconomic inequalities, meaning underprivileged social groups also have fewer trees. The distribution patterns of urban trees are least documented in the cities of rapidly evolving middle-income countries. We assessed whether street tree abundance, size, condition, diversity, and composition vary across census-derived socioeconomic strata in Nairobi, Kenya. We sampled 2047 trees across 12 neighborhoods, covering 24 km of street, then used linear regression to understand how socioeconomic strata relate to street tree characteristics. We found substantial disparities in tree abundance, with affluent areas harboring 91.5 % of the trees sampled. Low-income areas and informal settlements had comparably few trees. Mean diameter and condition did not vary across socioeconomic strata, but high-income, formerly European neighborhoods had a higher proportion of small trees, indicating a bias in recent urban greening investments further benefiting these areas. Species diversity followed a similar pattern of inequality. High-income neighborhoods had over 30 % higher species richness and diversity than low-income areas. Even so, lower income neighborhoods exhibited greater differences in street tree community composition, and a higher proportion of trees that bear edible fruit or are used in traditional medicine. Overall, our results reveal pronounced spatial inequality in the distribution of street trees in Nairobi, reflecting not only socioeconomic differences but the enduring legacies of colonial planning.

Onwards and ...eastwards? EU-Azerbaijan relations as an example of crisis-driven agenda-setting within the framework of the European neighbourhood policy

This paper uses qualitative discourse analysis to investigate how the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020 and Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have impacted bilateral relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan in the realm of security and energy policy? The study takes into account geo-political developments in the aftermath of the 2018 Agreement on New Partnership Priorities, as well as contemplates the future of the European Neighbourhood Policy. In this context, the paper illuminates the interplay of EU external governance, agenda-setting, and crisis concepts. In essence, the paper asserts that the EU responds swiftly to crises, such as the Ukraine and Karabakh conflicts, through actions like mediation, investments, and deepening bilateral relations, while often overlooking the root causes. Additionally, the EU consistently emphasizes long-term strategies and energy policies, with security concerns becoming more prominent during crisis periods.

((D)(E-)) Valuation of the EU’s “Moral Power” in the European Neighbourhood (Policy) (ENP)

Inspirado en la Nueva Guerra Fría entre Rusia y Occidente desde 2014, este artículo se basa en la teoría moral que gira en torno al marco conceptual del “poder moral” que procede teóricamente del poder “civil”/“normativo/”ética” europeo. Este se aplica a la (Política) Europea de Vecindad (ENP) como un caso de prueba principal compuesto de estudios de casos atomiza- dos en un terreno geográfico caracterizado por la agitación política, de seguridad y económica. Ontológicamente, el artículo une el neorrealismo, el constructivismo y la teoría crítica para explicar los últimos acontecimientos en la vecindad política de la UE. Epistemológicamente, se basa en las trayectorias exterior/interior, ascendente, entrante/saliente para captar la dinámica local, la interacción regional y el contexto global. Metodológicamente, lleva a cabo un discurso cualitativo y un análisis de contenido cuantitativo que trasciende los giros “pragmáticos” y “narrativos” hacia el interpretativismo. Este artículo a) demuestra la transición teórica del “poder normativo de Europa” (NPE) al “poder moral” que deconstruye las normas centrales y secundarias de la NPE y b) anatomiza la ENP a través de los siete “parámetros” de la “moralidad”, a saber, consecuencialismo, coherencia, consistencia, equilibrio entre valores e intereses, estabilidad normativa, inclusión y legitimidad externa, y el tipo relevante de “poder”, es decir, “potencial”, “real” y “actualizado”. De este modo, “construye” una pirámide que compartimenta las normas de la UE de acuerdo con una supuesta moralidad objetiva, una ética relativa y una normatividad subjetiva. En última instancia, más allá de la realpolitik, el artículo muestra el agotamiento de la ENP, que induce la (de) valuación del “poder moral” de la UE a través de “digresiones normativas”: corro­sión, derogación, desviación, perversión, erosión, conversión, subversión en conjunto con “distorsiones morales”: moralmente uti­litarias, inmorales, antimorales, amorales, inmorales, no morales y moralistas.

Recent Developments in the European Union’s Involvement in Mediterranean Fisheries Management

Abstract This article examines the attention that the European Union (EU) currently pays to fisheries management in the Mediterranean Sea. The Union’s action in this marine area is complex. On the one hand, the EU is present through its Common Fisheries Policy, as the coast of eight Member States border the Mediterranean Sea. On the other hand, the EU cooperates with the other Mediterranean countries through its European Neighbourhood Policy as well as with two regional fisheries management organisations with a mandate over Mediterranean living marine resources, namely, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

PROJECT ARCHETYPES OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA: EXPLORING THE OCCASIONAL ENGAGEMENT PATTERNS OF THE EUROPEAN SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD

This paper examines the project-based pattern of European Southern Neighbourhood engagement in the European Research Area. Thereby, this study informs about the role of the European Research Area in advancing EU objectives and ambitions in the enduringly salient European Neighbourhood Policy context. The research question that drives this study is: What project archetypes’ pattern denotes the European Southern Neighbourhood’s participation in the pan-European space intended to facilitate the free flow of talent and ideas? The guiding hypothesis anticipates that the prevailing archetype corresponds to an encounter lasting for one project, and prolonged engagement throughout several consecutive projects is a rarity. This enquiry into the relationality weaved by research collaboration formulates four archetypes. The main empirical material employed to model and study the four archetypes is semi-structured interviews with Europe-based project managers. Insights offered by the leading figures of projects funded by Framework Programme 7 and Horizon 2020 reveal how multilateral research-driven ties contribute to post-Westphalian external action aspirations. Devised analytic narratives attest to the performances of the EU science diplomacy, for example, in the form of technoscientific gifts as well as sharing and jointly developing kn/own/ables. Expert experiences of co-developing research-intensive solutions with Morocco- and Tunisia-based colleagues to address the most pressing challenges faced by the EU and its Southern neighbours are resourceful. They offer new insights into the patterned routines that support the implementation of such supranationally steered governance frameworks as the European Research Area, including its external action and science diplomacy dimensions. Almost half of the studied projects correspond to the archetype with one EU-funded project interaction. This confirms the rather sporadic or ad hoc relational ties of the European Southern Neighbourhood to the European Research Area, facilitated by various Europe-based competence centres.

Exploring EU Culture Policy towards Eastern Partnership Countries

This article delves into the intricate interplay of culture, soft power, and international relations, with a particular focus on the European Union's (EU) cultural diplomacy efforts within Eastern Partnership countries. It illuminates how culture serves as a potent force in shaping societal development and influencing international perceptions and relationships, drawing on Joseph Nye's conceptualization of soft power. Through a comprehensive historical analysis and examination of case studies, the research unveils the nuanced role of cultural diplomacy within the broader framework of soft power and public diplomacy. Specifically, it scrutinizes the EU's cultural diplomacy initiatives in Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine - highlighting their significance in diplomatic relations and regional cooperation, particularly within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and Eastern Partnership context. The study advocates for strategic enhancements in funding mechanisms, support for local institutions, and alignment with EU values to bolster the effectiveness of cultural diplomacy initiatives. Ultimately, it emphasizes the importance of an adaptive and inclusive approach to cultural policy, underscoring the need for continuous collaboration to foster resilient and mutually beneficial EU-Eastern Partnership relationships.

Analysis of the distribution of energy poverty in southern Spain: the relevance of working at the neighbourhood level

This article proposes a hybrid methodology to represent the energy poverty situation in neighbourhoods with high vulnerability indices, using public data sources and surveys designed for local contexts. As an innovation, the method includes aspects of feminisation poverty, household health and information collected directly from the case study population. The San Pablo neighbourhood, in southern Spain, has been taken as a case study, to extrapolate the strategy to similar European neighbourhoods. The research has made it possible to identify new factors affecting the energy poverty situation, such as the domestic burden associated with households or the lack of accessibility to dwellings. The incorporation of this type of indicators, which have been analysed according to sex, has made it possible to highlight the process of feminisation of energy poverty in the territory under study. Based on the groups identified as the most vulnerable, new lines of research are opened to define actions and best practices that can be implemented to improve household energy vulnerability.

Cinema Co-production, Film Distribution in Multiple Languages and Inequality in the Global Language System: A Call for Robust Public Data

Language has proven to be an important factor in film performance models, film finance considerations, and festival program selections. This essay uses multi-year global data sets (UN and supplementary databases) to analyse the relationship between the languages in which a film is produced and offered to cinemagoers on the one hand, and the co-production activities and dynamics which engender these patterns on the other hand. While European Commission policies, underlining the peculiar “linguistic polity”of the European Union, have been influential in the making of multilingual cinema productions motivated by subsidy rules, taxation and grant schemes, the pattern is rather global, reflecting uptake of cinematic product in many “territories” and the mobilization of film across national and regional language divides. The analysis shows that Europeanization has much wider implications beyond Europeans’ cultural consumption and identity construction, with Europe’s co-production policies casting a wider net of cultural resistance to Global Hollywood and its majority of English-language blockbusters as well as attending to language preservation in the European neighborhood in addition to Europe, where local and regional heritage policies are well instituted. The study examines the results against Abram de Swaan’s theory of the Global Language System, examining the Q-value theory to the language patterns emerging from film productions with multiple languages, which must be assessed in its relation to cultural consumption that may not follow from formal schooling and habitus formation.

External democracy promotion in times of internal rule-of-law crisis: the EU and its neighbourhood

ABSTRACT This article seeks to unpack the implications of the deteriorating rule of law within the EU’s eastern members for the EU’s external democracy promotion. We examine the legitimacy of the EU’s support for democracy in the European neighbourhood in light of the internal EU rule-of-law crisis. Adopting a sociological perspective, we emphasize local perceptions of the EU by tracing the legitimation dynamics at play in neighbouring societies. We adopt a tripartite conception of external legitimacy based on appropriateness, utilitarian consensus, and empathy. Using representative public opinion surveys, we show that the democratic erosion in the eastern EU members has not (yet) negatively impacted the EU’s credibility in supporting democracy in the neighbourhood. The article contributes to the research on the legitimacy of EU foreign policy and the literature on the legitimacy of international organizations. It also contributes to the broader effort at provincializing International Relations and decentring EU foreign policy studies.

EU’S SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY TOWARDS LIBYA AND SYRIA

The EU is actively involved in the dynamics of the states in its immediate vicinity to make them more stable. This involvement requires a high financial effort. In this paper I will analyse how the European Union (EU) implemented and intends to continue the neighbourhood policy with two states that went through the “Arab Spring” and became conflict zones. For the states in question, namely Libya and Syria, EU provides humanitarian aid and wishes them to recover from their failed state. The main objectives pursued by the EU within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) are stabilization of neighbouring countries, promotion of EU key interests and facilitation of regional cooperation. In addition to the neighbourhood policy instrument, between the EU and the two states there is a significant increase in trade relations from year to year. This increase in economic exchanges also leads to a deepening of bilateral relations. This rapprochement can transpose models of good governance from the EU to these failed states, and over time can create an environment conducive to state reconstruction, where the citizen is at the centre of attention and the rulers’ own interests are no longer at the forefront. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the EU southern neighbourhood policy, with an emphasis on Libya and Syria. The starting hypothesis of the research is that the EU’s ENP aid to Libya and Syria ensures minimal stability for the two countries and a better neighbourhood for it. As a working methodology, I will use the qualitative analysis of documentary materials.

White Paper: Designing the perfect New European Bauhaus neighbourhood

White Paper: Designing the perfect New European Bauhaus neighbourhood

The role of soft law instruments in framing and implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy

The role of soft law instruments in framing and implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy

СТАНОВЛЕННЯ ТА РОЗВИТОК СХІДНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ ЄС: УКРАЇНА ТА МОЛДОВА

The article examines the political initiative of the European Union – the European Neighborhood Policy. The dynamics of relations between the EU member states and their neighbors have been monitored. The role of Poland in the perspective of further cooperation and potential expansion of the borders of economic interaction of neighboring EU countries is characterized. The documents and the European Neighborhood Policy Strategy were analyzed separately. The consolidating factor of Poland is singled out as an opportunity for Ukraine and Moldova to join the European Community, and for the EU to expand its economic borders and integrate new potential partners. The purpose of the article is to analyze the cooperation of the European Union with potential partners who may become members of the European community in the future. The main task of this article is to study the formation and development of the Eastern policy of the European Union on the example of Ukraine and Moldova. Another important issue is the EU’s eastward expansion. It is hindered by the imperial ambitions of Russia, which considers Eastern Europe its sphere of influence and is ready by any means to stop the integration of these countries into Europe. Only Moscow’s intervention is delaying the further expansion of the EU’s economic borders. For a long time, the people of Ukraine and Moldova have been asking who is better: Russia or the EU? Here it is worth comparing the material situation of, for example, Poland and neighboring Moldova and Ukraine, and the choice will become obvious. It was concluded that the European Neighborhood Policy is a rather effective mechanism for implementing the economic, social and political factors of the expansion of the EU borders to the East. Additionally, this initiative can serve as an incentive for modernization and further democratization of future member states. The main obstacle is the Russian Federation, which seeks to keep these countries in its orbit or to join Russia altogether. In the future, Europe must unite all possible efforts to confront this enemy of the democracies of the world.

Cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union: historical and legal aspect

The article examines the historical and legal aspects of cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. It was traced that Ukraine’s intentions regarding the development of relations with the European Union were first enshrined in the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and subsequently recorded in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States on the one part, and Ukraine, on the other part. In addition, the requirements for cross-border and regional cooperation were defined in the Action Plan European Union - Ukraine “European Neighborhood Policy” and later became more detailed in the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, on the one part, and Ukraine, on the other part. Although the analyzed normative legal acts of Ukraine have become somewhat oriented towards the norms of the law of the European Union in the field of cross-border cooperation and regional cooperation, they still need improvement.

European neighbourhood policy, the Bologna model and EU-Egyptian cooperation in Higher Education

ABSTRACT This article analyses the EU’s neighbourhood policy towards Egypt. Using the higher education sector as a case, it explores the EU’s policy to induce reforms through governance transfers and Egypt’s response to this offer. The main questions are: (1) To what extent do EU policy objectives and governance approaches influence the reform of higher education in Egypt? (2) Which factors facilitate or hinder the reform process at various levels of intervention? Theoretically, the research draws on concepts of EU policy and governance transfers to partner states and the significance of contextual factors for reforms within these states. Methodologically, the analysis applies a qualitative approach based on official documents and semi-structured expert interviews with European and Egyptian officials. The analysis suggests that factors on both sides of the cooperation contribute to limiting policy implementation: the overly complex and rather unspecified governance concepts of the EU and the difficulties in Egypt to implement policies through decentralized action.

Building internal reputation in stigmatised neighbourhoods: the use of remote participatory photo mapping

The fight against negative neighbourhood effects has been led by urban regeneration policies aimed at mixing by ethnicity, income, tenure as well as demolition and poverty deconcentration – all of which sought to create mixed communities with improved reputations. This paper is based on the methodology applied in my PhD research and outlines how Participatory Photo Mapping (PPM) can evaluate impact and explore internal neighbourhood reputations providing both temporality and depth to the perception of urban spaces affected by change. PPM has involved residents of two European disadvantaged neighbourhoods (New Deal for Communities area, Bristol; Ponte Lambro, Milan) in the active and collaborative construction of their own narratives on the area and its developments and interventions. While also referring to the empirical findings, this paper focuses on the design and delivery of PPM and covers the challenges and the opportunities of the research method, conducted in times of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and social distancing. Despite the remote but innovative setting (Google My Maps) and data collection (online focus groups and 1–1 interviews), PPM confirms being an empowering tool to ‘re-create’ place images from within and give voice to urban areas where territorial stigma tends to prevail.